A Sullivan nurse accused of faking injections in an estimated 1,000 patients has agreed to have her license suspended and has been labeled a “clear and immediate danger to the public.”
Deborah Sue Kean’s license was suspended Thursday for 90 days until a final order is issued by the Indiana State Board of Nursing. Kean acknowledged that she has reviewed and consented to the summary suspension order.
During the 90 days, the board will set a final hearing date unless an agreement can be reached between the two parties.
Indiana Deputy Atty. Gen. Bill Niemier requested the suspension. He said Kean, who was not at the hearing, agreed to the suspension because she had monetary concerns and did not want to see evidence duplicated.
Niemier also said that Kean continues to deny the allegations, and the investigation is continuing. Kean was ordered to immediately stop all acts constituting the practice of nursing and to surrender her pocket license and wall certificate
After the 90 days, there will be a fact-finding hearing on the merits of the complaint, unless a settlement can be reached. Niemier said it was too early to tell what would happen.
Indiana Atty. Gen. Karen Freeman-Wilson said concern for public safety led to the lawsuit against Kean earlier this month. The suit accused the licensed practical nurse of falsifying patient records, using unsafe judgment, neglecting patients and being unfit to practice.
Kean was fired in August after other workers found evidence that Kean had not been giving immunization shots. The Indiana State Department of Health found that no Sullivan County children contracted a disease that could have been prevented by a vaccine in the past 10 years.
Officials have not determined a motive.
