Spencer, IA (KICD) — A Peterson woman – working as a traveling nurse – has been charged with four counts of wanton neglect of patients, and two counts of obtaining prescription drugs by deceptive means.
36 year old Rachel Martinez has plead innocent to all six charges and is scheduled for a pretrial conference in April.
In court documents obtained by the Capital Dispatch newspaper, Martinez is accused of administering hydrocodone to a patient three times within a five-hour period instead of the prescribed dose every four hours; administering four doses of Tramadol within a five-hour period instead of once every six hours; giving twice the dose of melatonin to a patient; and swiping patient medication for her own use on two occasions.
Officials with Spencer Hospital tell KICD News Martinez had been assigned to them for a four-week stint in 2022 by Aya Healthcare – a temporary staffing agency. They say the hospital’s continuous quality monitoring system identified concerns that were addressed with both Martinez and her employer, and reported to the Iowa Board of Nursing – which prompted the investigation and charges.