Nurse Suspended for Diverting 3,750mg Narcotics

A registered nurse employed at Royal Columbian Hospital in New Westminster has been suspended for one year after admitting to diverting narcotics. Allison Woodworth removed 3,750 mg of hydromorphone from her workplace between December 2024 and April 2025. The B.C. College of Nurses and Midwives published a disciplinary order stating that while no patient harm was identified, the committee could not determine if Woodworth personally benefited from her actions. This is not the first disciplinary action for Woodworth, who previously received a one-week suspension in October 2022 for similar misconduct between September and December 2021. She had completed remedial education and agreed not to repeat the behavior.

The diversion of hydromorphone, a medication also used as a harm reduction measure, comes amidst broader efforts to control opioid diversion. In February 2025, the provincial government announced a shift to a 'witnessed only' model for its safe supply program. This change was prompted by a leaked report detailing widespread diversion of prescribed opioids, aiming to prevent such substances from entering the illicit market.