Reports of drug thefts at MN hospitals have soared

The number of reported drug thefts at Minnesota hospitals and nursing homes has more than doubled since 2005, according to a coalition of law enforcement and health officials created after a series of alarming incidents last year. Their report, said to be the first of its kind, found 250 cases of prescription drugs that were stolen or reported missing at Minnesota health care facilities from 2005 to 2011. The trend reflects what experts say is a nationwide surge of prescription-drug abuse—in many cases by the very people entrusted with caring for patients.