Health workers stealing patients' drugs, MN warns

Health care workers stealing narcotics from patients in their care account for an estimated one-fifth of maltreatment cases involving vulnerable adults in Minnesota.

A new report shows that health workers diverted narcotic medications from more than two dozen vulnerable patients during a one-year period that ended in June.

This is the first time the Minnesota Department of Health has given out statistics on drug thefts in an update on vulnerable adults.

Assistant Commissioner Gil Acevedo called the findings "concerning" and said they should inspire families to pay close attention to the care their loved ones receive.

"If they were supposed to have gotten their medication, but they are still showing signs of discomfort or grimacing in pain," Acevedo said, "that would be a sign or an indicator that potentially they didn't get their medication."

Most of the cases occurred in nursing homes. The rest involved assisted living facilities or in-home care arrangements.