Three central Iowa Walgreens stores sanctioned by pharmacy board

Three central Iowa Walgreens stores have been sanctioned by the Iowa Board of Pharmacy for regulatory violations related to hiring practices.

The Walgreens store at 12753 University Ave., Clive, has been fined $1,500 for operating for 12 days last spring without a designated pharmacist in charge. With the hiring of a new pharmacist in charge, the store then failed to complete a controlled substance inventory.

The Walgreens store at 3030 University Ave., Des Moines, has been fined $1,500 for employing a person to assist a pharmacist with technical work in October 2021, even though the employee would not become a registered pharmacy technician until the following month. The store was also accused of violating state regulations by dispensing Sertraline, an antidepressant, to a patient without providing the required patient counseling. The store had previously received a warning for having an unregistered technician on staff.

The Walgreens store at 3140 SE 14th St., Des Moines, has been fined $750 for hiring two pharmacy technician trainees in February 2021, although the two did not register with the board until the following July. The store had previously received a warning for having an unregistered technician trainee on staff. The store was fined $750.

Other licensees recently sanctioned by the Iowa Board of Pharmacy include:

Lindsey Collett, Milford — The board approved a license application from Collett subject to certain conditions. In 2014, Collett’s Kentucky pharmacist license was suspended as a result of being fired by her employer for allegedly stealing controlled substances for her own use. According to the board, Collett admitted she was addicted to oxycodone at that time. Her Kentucky pharmacist license was reinstated in September 2016, subject to 10 years of probation. As an Iowa-licensed pharmacist, Collett will have to comply with the requirements of the Iowa Monitoring Program for Pharmacy Professionals.

Katelynn Parmer, Decatur – Parmer agreed to voluntarily surrender her license to the board after being accused of stealing 173 tablets of a controlled substance from her employer. Police records indicate that over an 11-day period last fall, Parmer worked at the Wal-Mart store in Osceola. On at least three separate occasions, she was allegedly captured on video stealing Tramadol from the Wal-Mart pharmacy, with plans to sell the tablets. After she was criminally charged with theft and possession of a controlled substance, the theft charge was dismissed, Parmer was granted a deferred judgment on the possession charge, and she was placed on probation for one year. In February, she was charged with violating the terms of her probation. A court hearing on that charge is scheduled for March 17.

Arnold Beukelman, Sioux Center – The board fined Beukelman $2,000 for keeping a supply of controlled substances at his veterinary office from August 2019 through July 2021, despite not having a current Controlled Substances Act registration. He was also charged with failing to maintain adequate records related to his inventory of controlled substances.

Lori Lindstrom, Mason City – The board fined Lindstrom $2,000 for failing to protect her prescription authentication credentials from unauthorized use, and for sharing with others her login information for the national Prescription Monitoring Program. The board alleged Lindstrom shared her information with an employee who then used it, without Lindstrom’s knowledge, to illegally fill fraudulent prescriptions for herself and her daughter.