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A4 U.S. NEWS
Thursday 2 March 2023
States move to crack down on nurses with bogus diplomas

By MICHAEL HILL based in Broward County
Associated Press and had no relation to
ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — Medi- a university with a similar
cal licensing officials in mul- name in Connecticut.
tiple states are scrambling It was not entirely clear how
to stop nurses with fraudu- many of the roughly 2,400
lent academic credentials nurses with credentials from
from caring for patients, these schools are currently
after three Florida schools employed, or where.
were accused of selling Federal officials shared in-
thousands of bogus diplo- formation so states could
mas. pursue nurses with phony
New York regulators told academic credentials.
903 nurses in recent weeks Some states have taken
to either surrender their li- action.
censes or prove they were The Washington State Nurs-
properly educated. Dela- ing Care Quality Assurance
ware and Washington Commission rescinded the
state officials have yanked R.N. licenses of 17 people
dozens of nursing licenses. and denied license appli-
Texas filed administrative cations for four. The Dela-
charges against 23 nurses. ware Board of Nursing
More actions in additional annulled 26 licenses. The
states are expected. U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe speaks about a network of nursing school operators, centered Georgia Board of Nursing
In some cases, lawyers for in South Florida, who allowed students to buy diplomas without the proper training, during a press asked 22 nurses to volun-
conference in Miami, Jan. 25, 2023.
the nurses contend states Associated Press tarily surrender their licens-
are questioning the cre- es.
dentials of caregivers who into what officials say was a obtain jobs as registered facility in New Jersey, ac- The 23 nurses facing pos-
earned diplomas legiti- wire fraud scheme in which nurses and licensed prac- cording to court filings. sible license revocations in
mately. But there’s wide several now-closed Florida tical nurses or vocational Students came not only Texas can continue work-
agreement in the industry nursing schools sold phony nurses in multiple states, from Florida, but also New ing while their disciplinary
that nurses with fraudulent nursing diplomas and tran- prosecutors say. York, New Jersey, Penn- cases are pending. Texas
degrees need to be rooted scripts from 2016 to 2022. How did so many test takers sylvania, Texas and Dela- Board of Nursing general
out. Twenty-five defendants, pass without the required ware. Many of the students counsel James “Dusty”
“The public needs to know including school owners classroom and clinical took their licensing exam in Johnston said more charg-
that when they’re the most and alleged recruiters, work? In some cases, they New York, where they can es could come as officials
fragile, when they’re sick, have been charged, U.S. were experienced L.P.N.s sit it multiple times, accord- develop “the necessary
when they’re in a hospi- Attorney for the Southern seeking to become R.N.s. ing to investigators. information for each indi-
tal bed, that the individual District of Florida Markenzy Some had been health Investigators identified the vidual.”
who is at their bedside has Lapointe announced in care providers in other Florida nursing schools as A spokesperson for Veter-
gone through the required late January. Those cases countries. the Palm Beach School of ans Affairs said it removed
training,” said Jennifer are pending. The nurses got jobs across Nursing; Siena College, a 89 nurses “from patient
Mensik Kennedy, president About 7,600 students paid the country, including at a school in Broward County care” nationwide last year
of the American Nurses As- an average of $15,000 for hospital in Georgia, Veter- that wasn’t related to the immediately after being
sociation union. bogus diplomas, accord- ans Affairs medical centers college of the same name notified by federal officials.
States are acting in the ing to prosecutors. Around in Maryland and New York, in New York; and the Sa- The agency has not found
wake of Operation Nightin- 2,400 of those people then a skilled nursing facility in cred Heart International any instances of patients
gale, a federal investigation passed a licensing exam to Ohio, and an assisted living Institute, which was also being harmed.q
DC’s cherry blossoms coming early due

to confusing weather

Washington Mayor Muriel have essentially sent con- Tidal Basin by a week.
Bowser and the National fusing signals to the trees. Mayhew said she and city
Park Service announced The end results, Reinbold officials are expecting a
Wednesday that Washing- said, are trees that he com- boom year for the festival,
ton’s 3,700 cherry blossom pared to a hormonal teen- which typically signals the
trees would reach peak ager. “There’s a lot going unofficial start of D.C.’s
bloom this year from March on in there,” he said. tourist season. The 2020
22-25. That’s several days Cherry Blossom Festival cherry blossom season was
earlier than observers and President Diana Mayhew essentially wrecked in real
experts had expected. said this year’s bloom dates time by the creeping shad-
Cherry blossoms are visible along Hains Point in Washington, “This has been a challeng- aren’t unprecedented, but ow of the COVID-19 pan-
Monday, Feb. 27, 2023. ing year to read the trees,” they’re the second earli- demic, which was moving
Associated Press said Jeff Reinbold, NPS su- est she had witnessed in 23 across the country just as
By ASHRAF KHALIL Earth’s changing climate, perintendent for the nation- years with the organization. the festival was holding
Associated Press with the iconic blossoms al mall and memorial parks. As a result, her organization press conferences. Orga-
WASHINGTON (AP) — The appearing earlier than ex- One of the warmest winters has accelerated their own nizers finally were forced
cherry trees in the nation’s pected because of the un- on record, plus dramatic timetable, moving up mul- to cancel most in-person
capital are confused by usually warm winter. fluctuations in temperature tiple events planned at the events.q