Nurse of the Year???

This is from David Owens for the Hartford Courant on 8/6/09

" A Norwalk woman once recognized as "nurse of the year" was arrested today after an investigation found she's not really a nurse.

Betty A. Lichtenstein, who is also known as Betty A. Trudel, 56, of Norwalk, was arrested Thursday by inspectors from the Chief's State's Attorney's Medicaid fraud control unit on a single count of illegal use of the title "registered nurse," six counts of second-degree reckless endangerment and one count of criminal impersonation.

According to the warrant for Lichtenstein's arrest, the investigation began after a patient at the Norwalk doctor's office for which Lichtenstein worked complained she had acted unprofessionally.

An investigation then determined that Lichtenstein never had a license, yet had administered injections and given medical advice to the doctor's patients, according to the warrant.

The doctor and his employees' belief that Lichtenstein was a nurse was reinforced when in November 2008 she was honored as "2008 nurse of the year" by the Connecticut Nursing Association.

The investigation determined, however, that the Connecticut Nursing Association does not exist and that Lichtenstein used $2,000 of her own money to stage the dinner, according to the warrant.

"The doctor, his staff and a number of his patients received a letter with the letterhead of the "Connecticut Nursing Association," according to the warrant. "The letter stated there would be a special dinner to honor Betty Lichtenstein [and that she] was to received a $10,000 personal award and an additional $10,000 was to go to the charity of her choice."

On Nov. 30 the award dinner took place at the Norwalk Inn, and the doctor for whom Lichtenstein worked was a guest speaker, according to the warrant. Forty one dinners were served and the inn sent a bill for $3,211.11 to the Connecticut Nursing Association in care of Lichtenstein's employer's office. She then wrote a check for $2,168.02, according to the warrant.

Lichtenstein was arrested by Norwalk police in May in an unrelated charge of trying to illegally obtaining prescription drugs and forgery. According to the warrant, she tried to obtain 96 Oxycodone pills with a forged prescription. She used a prescription slip from her employer. That case is pending in Superior Court in Norwalk.

The illegal use of the title "registered nurse" charge is a felony that is punishable by up to five years in prison.

She was released from custody without having to post bail and is due in court Aug. 26 in Norwalk.

Copyright © 2009, The Hartford Courant"

It is amazing the amount of energy and money spent by this woman to fake being a nurse. Just bizarre.