NASHVILLE, Tenn. – A Mid-South nurse caught with numerous drugs, including 600 of her patient’s prescription pills, is finally facing punishment from the state.
WREG has been following La Tisha Hayden’s story from the beginning. Last week, her case went before the Tennessee Nursing Board. The meetings were streamed on the state’s website.
We first told you about Hayden when she ran her car into a ditch off I-40 in Fayette County in December 2018.
Troopers say they found marijuana, drug paraphernalia and a pillowcase full of 600 prescription pills she stole from her juvenile patients at Oak Hills Behavioral Center in Jackson, Tennessee.
There were dozens of different pills including blood pressure and depression meds. She told officers she took them for personal use.
On the scene, troopers say Hayden also confessed to having four grams of methamphetamine in her anus.
Hayden
was working for Maxim Healthcare Services at the time of her arrest but was
later terminated.
Hayden wouldn’t give us her side of the story when she appeared in court before
taking a plea deal last November. Most of her charges were dropped except two
drug charges and three counts of theft less than a thousand dollars. She
received judicial diversion.
Hayden’s case was laid out to nursing board members. It took two minutes before they voted on her punishment and moved to the next case.
After digging, WREG finally got a hold of Hayden’s consent order. It states the board found her guilty of unprofessional conduct, negligence, dishonesty and unauthorized removal of drugs.
Her Tennessee nursing license has been suspended and her multi-state license was deactivated.
Hayden can potentially get her license reinstated though if she enrolls and completes the Tennessee Professional Assistance Program, which is the state’s rehab for health care professionals battling addiction.
Below: La Tisha Hayden’s hearing before the Tennessee Nursing Board.