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In a recent development from Kingsport, Tennessee, a former nurse from Holston Valley Medical Center has been indicted following a thorough investigation by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI).
The TBI disclosed that its Medicaid Fraud Control Division and Drug Investigation Division launched an inquiry into the actions of 32-year-old Joseph Juszak in July 2025, following a request from District Attorney General Barry Staubus.
The investigation uncovered that in September 2024, Juszak illicitly acquired a controlled substance from the room of a patient in the intensive care unit, as reported by the TBI.
The Disciplinary Action Report from the Tennessee Department of Health (TDH) for July 2025 detailed an incident where Juszak was allegedly seen using a syringe to extract Versed from the IV bag of a patient not assigned to his care. The report also mentioned that Juszak declined to undergo a drug test when approached by hospital staff.
Further insights are provided in a consent order from May 2025 between Juszak and the state, which outlines that during his shift in the ICU, Juszak inquired of another nurse if any of her patients were receiving Versed—a medication commonly administered to alleviate anxiety and induce sedation before medical procedures. Upon learning that one of her patients had an IV bag containing Versed that was not actively being administered, Juszak allegedly entered the patient’s room and was observed extracting some of the Versed with a syringe, according to the order.
The consent order states that when confronted, Juszak informed hospital staff that he had placed the syringe in one of his patients’ rooms, where it was recovered. He also allegedly denied diverting the medication for his personal use and instead claimed that he planned to administer it to his patient because a request for an order for that patient to receive Versed had been rejected.
The order claims Juszak “refused to submit a sample for both a for-cause drug screen and a blood-borne pathogen test when asked and instead immediately resigned from his position at HVMC.”
According to the TDH, Juszak’s nursing license was revoked in July 2025.
A Sullivan County grand jury indicted Juszak on one count of prescription drug fraud last week, according to the TBI. Juszak turned himself in on Friday and was booked into the Sullivan County Jail on a $12,500 bond.