Three more hospital employees have been placed on leave at a hospital where a doctor allegedly overprescribed pain medication.
Samantha Irons, spokesperson for Mount Carmel Hospital, said: “We have now placed 23 colleagues on administrative leave, including members of the management team.”
34 patients received excessive doses of the medicine at the hospital while under the care of Dr. William Husel, said the hospital’s CEO and President Ed Lamb in a statement. Unfortunately, all patients passed away, according to the hospital spokesperson.
28 of the patients received potentially fatal doses of the pain medicine while six received excessive doses that went beyond giving comfort. Three of the patients passed away after the hospital system received a notification related to the care of the doctor, said the hospital.
Lamb also said the hospital “might discover more” patients affected during the investigation.
“Based on what we learned about that report, we should have begun a more expedited process to investigate and consider immediate removal of Dr. Husel from patient care at that time,” Lamb expressed.
Husel was fired on December 5.
“On behalf of Mount Carmel and Trinity Health, our parent organization, we apologize for this tragedy, and we’re truly sorry for the additional grief this may cause these families,” Lamb said in a statement. “Our team has contacted these families and will continue to answer their questions and concerns as best as we can.”
8 lawsuits have been filed by survivors of Husel’s patients. The suits allege that excessive medication is the cause of the deaths. Several of the lawsuits claim that fentanyl was overprescribed.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, fentanyl is the deadliest drug in America.
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