Report: Jacksonville nurse steals hydrocodone, oxycodone from Mayo Clinic

A registered nurse's license has been restricted after she was arrested for stealing oxycodone and hydrocodone from Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, according to state documents.

Tanya Chapman, 37 of St. Augustine, was arrested in April after she admitted to taking narcotics refused by patients at Mayo Clinic, where she worked.

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Detectives began investigating after a March 2017 audit showed Chapman had suspiciously high numbers of controlled substance transactions at the hospital compared to other nurses on her floor, according to Florida Department of Health records.

A Mayo clinic employee told detectives that Chapman should have dispensed fewer narcotics because she was a supervisor.

When Chapman's supervisors and law enforcement questioned her, she admitted to diverting and taking medication during a two-year period, according to records.

Chapman said she was prescribed oxycodone and hydrocodone after a hip surgery.

She stopped taking her prescribed medication, then started taking medication refused by patients a few months later because she was experiencing personal issues, according to documents.

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The Mayo Clinic said Tuesday that Chapman was no longer an employee.

The hospital's statement: 

"Upon learning of this issue, we immediately investigated the matter. We reported the incident to law enforcement and notified appropriate medical licensing bodies and government agencies. The nurse is no longer employed by Mayo Clinic."

Chapman said she diverted between 10 to 12 tablets of oxycodone or hydrocodone each week and consumed the tablets at the hospital, a report said.

She denied being impaired by the substances and said she didn't do it every day.

Chapman tested positive for oxycodone during a drug screen in April, the report said.

An emergency restriction order stated Chapman presented an immediate, serious danger to the health, welfare and safety of the public.

The emergency restriction order was filed July 17.

Cox Media Group