State disciplines 3 nurses, 2 for substance abuse

The state Board of Examiners for Nursing on Wednesday disciplined three nurses, including suspending the license of a Stamford Hospital nurse accused of stealing Dilaudid meant for 21 patients.

The registered nurse, Kerrisha Stacy-Ann Hurd of Elmont, N.Y., took the painkillers meant for the patients but did not administer the doses to them between January and March while she worked in the Post Anesthesia Care Unit of the hospital, state records show.

In March, she fainted while on the job, and a syringe with a bloody needle was found in her uniform pocket, records show. Then on April 26, she admitted that she gave herself a shot of Dilaudid while working, records show. She was taken to the emergency room and tested positive for opiates, records show.

The board concluded that Hurd’s continued practice as a nurse represents a clear and immediate danger to the public.

On Wednesday, the board came to the same conclusion about Presley Eze, a West Hartford licensed practical nurse, and suspended his license.

Eze has a long history of disciplinary action before the board, and state records show that in 2011, he was high on PCP when he brandished a long sword outside the Trader Joe’s store in West Hartford, records show. He has been arrested four times since then, records show.

In May, the board placed his license on probation for four years and ordered him to undergo random drug tests. Since June, however, he has not complied with the terms of his probation, records show, so the board suspended his license.

The board also reprimanded the RN license of Gregory Coyle of Ansonia, who in 2017, while working for All About You Home Care Services, failed to appear for scheduled home care visits for a patient and failed to administer medication to the patient, a consent order he signed said. He also falsified medication records, the order said. Coyle has completed courses in documentation standards, ethics and patient rights. In signing the order, Coyle chose not to contest the charges while admitting no wrongdoing.

Records show that Coyle does not currently live or practice in Connecticut. The board placed a restriction on his license that requires him to give the board 90 days’ notice before resuming practice in Connecticut. If that happens, he must also wait until the board can issue an order to monitor his practice.