Washington state suspends credential of surgery center nurse who stole fentanyl — 4 insights

The Washington State Department of Health indefinitely suspended former Pacific Rim Outpatient Surgery Center nurse Jennifer Somawang's credential after she stole and abused fentanyl, The Bellingham Herald reports.

What you should know:

1. Ms. Somawang was a registered nurse at the Bellingham, Wash.-based surgery center from February 2012 to July 2014.

2. She had her credential temporarily suspended in June after she missed five drug tests and withdrew from a substance abuse monitoring program.

3. A surgery center employee claimed to have observed Ms. Somawang inject herself with a syringe at the surgery center July 14, 2014. Ms. Somawang admitted to stealing and abusing fentanyl several times in late July 2014.

4. Ms. Somawang entered into a substance abuse contract with the state in October 2014 but failed to adhere to the terms of the contract and withdrew from the substance abuse program in November 2017.

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