Longwood at Oakmont nurse accused of forging morphine prescription by state Attorney General's Office

A woman who worked as a registered nurse at Longwood at Oakmont in Plum is accused of forging another nurse’s signature on a prescription for morphine cream.

The state Attorney General’s Office charged Kimberly C. Graves, 58, of Penn Hills with a felony count of prohibited acts and misdemeanor charges of forgery, identity theft and prohibited acts.

Graves no longer is employed at Longwood, a retirement community that is an affiliate of Presbyterian SeniorCare Network, spokesman Jonathan Szish said. The organization had no other comment.

A certified registered nurse practitioner who sees patients at Longwood reported to the Attorney General’s Office in August that a prescription for 0.1% morphine cream displaying her signature and DEA number had been rejected at a pharmacy in Sharpsburg, a criminal complaint against Graves states.

The cream is a schedule II controlled substance used for pain relief. According to the DEA, schedule II substances are drugs with a high potential for abuse with use potentially leading to severe psychological or physical dependence. They include Vicodin, cocaine, methamphetamine, methadone, oxycodone, fentanyl, Dexedrine, Adderall and Ritalin.

The nurse practitioner did not authorize, consent or sign the prescription, and it was sent to the pharmacy without her consent, the complaint states.

Another woman’s name was used as the prescription’s recipient. The complaint did not state whether that woman’s name is real or made up.

A narcotics agent from the Attorney General’s Office investigated and determined that Graves had sent the prescription to the pharmacy in an effort to have it filled, the complaint states.

During a voluntary interview in October, Graves admitted to taking a controlled substance prescription, filling it out and signing the nurse practitioner’s name without authorization, the complaint states.

Graves did not have an attorney listed in court records. She is scheduled for a preliminary hearing March 27 before Plum District Judge Michael J. Doyle.