Limelight Posted November 30, 2009 Report Share Posted November 30, 2009 (edited) I have just recently been informed of a situation to which I feel an obligation to contact the authorities. Being a recovering drug addict, I now reside in a different state and cut off contact to most of the things affiliated with my past, however I still talk to one of my still drug addicted "friends" on occasion who lives two states away. Anyways, he just made a new "friend" about a month ago who happens to be a nurse at the hospital's oncology unit as well as a drug abuser. My friend, just told me that after she administers the powerful opioid Dilaudid (hydromorphone) to cancer patients, instead of disposing of it like they're supposed to, she takes the remainder for herself to IV (usually in combination with heroin and cocaine). I also know she has taken vials of liquid Ativan (lorazepam) in the past to IV as well. I know this sort of stuff occurs all the time and I do not know this woman personally, however I obviously feel what she is doing is extremely unethical as she should be reprimanded (being a detriment to herself, her profession, and her patients, as she is possibly inebriated while working), but I question whether it is within my right to intervene or on the other hand it would be immoral to completely dismiss this entirely. Seeing how the state, in my opinion, handles drug offenders in an inappropriate manner also raises more reason to carefully consider how to take action. Does anyone have any feedback, opinions, or advice? FYI: my intentions are certainly not emotively driven or personal (as if I were seeking vengeance out of jealousy or anything like that). Edited November 30, 2009 by Limelight Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluecherry Posted November 30, 2009 Report Share Posted November 30, 2009 I'm worried about if she is a risk to patients and I'm willing to bet her employers would not be happy at all about this and wouldn't want her doing this at work/with their supplies. I'd recommend first contacting her employers to tell them you've been told she's doing this and so they may want to keep an eye on her to check it out and decide for themselves if she really is and they should do anything about it. She can screw with her own life all she wants, but it isn't something her employers and patients should have to accept, so that's why I'd recommend trying to report her to her place of employment whether you think she should be reported to police or not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SapereAude Posted November 30, 2009 Report Share Posted November 30, 2009 Rational self interest is again the thing to look to here. Whether drug use/abuse should be illegal or not is not the issue. The patients are being charged for the drugs that she is taking from them- she is stealing. She is directly deliberately hurting patients by wildholding medication from them-medication they have paid for. She is putting lives in danger by being high in a job where her mind needs to be clear and her patients have the reasonable expectation that she is within her right mind. So ask yourself, if this person was working at the hospital where you or a loved one was being treated would you want this known? This is the situation to look at if you knew this was going on. The other fact is that you are hearing this information second or even third hand from a known drug addict, not the most reliable source. While you may not have a reason to hurt this nurse, what about your friend? You have no idea what relationship this drug addict friend may have had with the nurse in question to make him/her want to hurt them. So, you say you know she is doing these things. But you don't know it from anything other than hearsay. How comfortable are you with disrupting a potentially innocent person's life based on the word of a drug addict? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Limelight Posted December 1, 2009 Author Report Share Posted December 1, 2009 Both of you make good points. Rational self interest is again the thing to look to here. Whether drug use/abuse should be illegal or not is not the issue. The patients are being charged for the drugs that she is taking from them- she is stealing. She is directly deliberately hurting patients by wildholding medication from them-medication they have paid for. She is putting lives in danger by being high in a job where her mind needs to be clear and her patients have the reasonable expectation that she is within her right mind. So ask yourself, if this person was working at the hospital where you or a loved one was being treated would you want this known? This is the situation to look at if you knew this was going on. The other fact is that you are hearing this information second or even third hand from a known drug addict, not the most reliable source. While you may not have a reason to hurt this nurse, what about your friend? You have no idea what relationship this drug addict friend may have had with the nurse in question to make him/her want to hurt them. So, you say you know she is doing these things. But you don't know it from anything other than hearsay. How comfortable are you with disrupting a potentially innocent person's life based on the word of a drug addict? I feel very uncomfortable jeopardizing someone's life like this. My drug addict "friend", informed me of her actions in a semi-gleeful manner, giving me the impression that he now has the opportunity to obtain some of the liquid Dilaudid and Ativan. Knowing him full well, I don't even think it even crossed his mind that I would take any action over his words. Also, like you brought up, if I or someone I loved was being treated by an imbalanced and potentially dangerous employee, I would want to know and would see to it that justice would be served. I think I will contact her employers at the hospital and tell them the situation objectively. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jake_Ellison Posted December 1, 2009 Report Share Posted December 1, 2009 I think I will contact her employers at the hospital and tell them the situation objectively. Sounds like a good plan. It's not your "duty", but it's the right thing to do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hotu Matua Posted December 1, 2009 Report Share Posted December 1, 2009 (edited) Sounds like a good plan. It's not your "duty", but it's the right thing to do. This takes me to the basic question If I know that person A is harming person B, and person B is not aware of that, is it my moral duty to make person B aware? We would answer: if it is in our self rational interest, it is. If we will be harmed in the process, we should not self-sacrifice. My problem here is double: Generally speaking, it is in my best self interest that people around me are safe, prosperous and happy. Imagine, for example, a work environment where your colleagues are acting as if they felt unsafe, frustrated and unhappy. Would you be interested in staying there for a long time? Would that work environment help you to achieve your long term goals? Therefore, it is hard for me to imagine a situation where it is not in my best self interest to keep person B unaware of the damage being inflicted to her by person A, since by allowing that to happen I am worsening the world around me. Warning other people always entails some time and effort being spent. You sacrifice short term pleasures and even short term goals. I know that Objectivist Ethics is primarily concerned with long term values and goals. But sometimes it is very difficult to tell if by sacrificing this smaller goal, or this series of smaller goals, I am affecting or not my longer term goals. For example, by spending X amount of money and time in teaching people how to live healthier, more productive lives, I will reach my personal goal later, or I will have to settle with a value of slightly less quality. Edited December 1, 2009 by Hotu Matua Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Limelight Posted December 1, 2009 Author Report Share Posted December 1, 2009 Sounds like a good plan. It's not your "duty", but it's the right thing to do. Yeah that's why I put "duty" in quotes. Though I shouldn't have used the word at all as I'm totally opposed to Kantian ethics as well as the man himself, as I'm sure everyone else is here. Warning other people always entails some time and effort being spent. You sacrifice short term pleasures and even short term goals. I know that Objectivist Ethics is primarily concerned with long term values and goals. But sometimes it is very difficult to tell if by sacrificing this smaller goal, or this series of smaller goals, I am affecting or not my longer term goals. For example, by spending X amount of money and time in teaching people how to live healthier, more productive lives, I will reach my personal goal later, or I will have to settle with a value of slightly less quality. I don't see this in any way as a sacrifice as I'm adhering to my own set of values of which is a construct of reason and a means to my long-term goals for happiness. It would be sacrificial for me to compromise or dismiss my belief system by not taking any action, as I would not be living up to my standards as a human being, negating my own values and existence. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Limelight Posted December 1, 2009 Author Report Share Posted December 1, 2009 FYI, I did contact the hospital, and after several phone transfers I got the CEO's voicemail and informed her that I was recently informed of the possibility of one of her employees committing malpractice and how I felt the urge to take it upon myself and inform someone. I still feel bad that I've chosen to file a report and possibly destroy this woman's profession, but I think it is better safe than sorry as people's lives are in her hands, and I do know for a fact she is at least abusing other psychoactive substances such as heroin, cocaine, cannabis, various benzodiazepines, and poppy-pod tea which is essentially opium as it contains morphine, codeine, and thebaine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluecherry Posted December 1, 2009 Report Share Posted December 1, 2009 (edited) Don't feel guilty as if you hurt her. All you are trying to do is make known the truth of what she herself has done. It is what she has done which is getting her into trouble. Supposing you just had a jerk acquaintance though and she has not done such things, then they should find no evidence to incriminate her and she should still be fine. After all, you did say you'd been informed and they should check into it, not that you just were totally sure and she should be fired right away. Edited December 1, 2009 by bluecherry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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