State penalizes 3 nurses, 1 former nurse

Licenses to practice suspended, revoked

The Board of Examiners for Nursing disciplined three nurses and one former nurse last week for unrelated cases involving drug use, theft, deceit and mental health.

After a hearing last Wednesday, the board voted to revoke the license of Ryan Buynicki, of Agawam, Mass., who, records show, allegedly stole Dilaudid in 2015 while working at Osborn Correctional Center in Somers. Buynicki also allegedly stole controlled substances from five patients in the prison infirmary in 2015 and falsified controlled substance records, according to the statement of charges against him by the state Department of Public Health. The board also found that his use of controlled substances was affecting his ability to practice as a nurse, the statement said.

The board issued a cease-anddesist order against Lisa Piatak, of Shelton, to stop practicing without a license. The board found that after her practical nurse license expired in 2010, Piatak practiced as an LPN without a license for six more years, its memorandum of decision states.

The board also suspended the RN license of Lori Riley, of Sharon, for not complying with the terms of an earlier probation. In June, the board placed her license on probation for two years because, records show, she took a painkiller meant for a patient and replaced it with Tylenol while working for All About You Homecare in Torrington.

The nursing board also found that in 2014, Riley abused Percocet, oxycodone and vicodin and was hospitalized for a drug overdose, records show.

The board revoked the RN license of Maria Roach, of Stratford, after finding that she suffers from depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder to a degree that she cannot safely practice as a nurse, according to its memorandum of decision.