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Office of the Attorney General
Former Nurse Sentenced in Connection With Death of Patient
Attorney General Jack Conway today announced the sentencing of a nurse formerly employed by Hurstborne Care Center in Jefferson County, Ky. Stacy Harrison, currently from Henderson, Ky., pled guilty in September to charges relating to the abuse and death of a patient. Harrison was sentenced in Jefferson County Circuit Court today to knowing abuse of a vulnerable adult, a Class C felony.
A judge sentenced Harrison to five years in the Kentucky Department of Corrections, but granted Harrison’s request to supervised probation. Harrison agreed to forfeit his nursing license and to never again apply to be a nurse in Kentucky or any other state.
On March 8, 2008, and continuing through the early morning hours of March 9, 2008, Harrison was on duty at Hurstborne Care Center and failed to respond to a vulnerable adult when the patient was vomiting and showing other signs of distress. While the patient was in distress, Harrison stayed at the nursing station and sent text messages and ate snacks instead of responding to help the man in his care. After the patient stopped breathing, Harrison did not attempt to resuscitate him, even though the victim had written resuscitation wishes.
“Through the hard work of our investigators and prosecutors, we were able to make sure Stacy Harrison will never again be in a position to abuse or neglect another patient.” said Attorney General Jack Conway.
Investigators from the Office of the Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud and Abuse Division investigated this case after it was referred from the Jefferson County offices of the Department of Community Bases Services. Prosecutors from the Medicaid Fraud Division handled the prosecution of this case at the request of the Jefferson County Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office.
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