WEDNESDAY.APRIL24.2002
STATENEWS
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN • 9A
FBI names patients in drug case
The Associated Press
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Letters were sent yesterday to Missouri doctors who may have treated patients with drugs diluted by Robert Courtney.
The 184 letters — 168 to doctors and the rest to clinics — will include a list of patients named by the FBI as possibly receiving prescriptions that could have been tainted by Courtney, said health department spokeswoman Nanci Gonder.
"We know it's important to get this information out quickly," Gonder said. "These letters will not definitely tell them if they got drugs, but it will give them more information."
Gonder stressed that those who were contacted did not necessarily use diluted drugs.
The letter was written after a meeting yesterday morning involving officials from several state departments, including the
If it is asked, the health department will help doctors contact their patients, Gonder said.
Missouri State Board of Registration for the Healing Arts and the Missouri Board of Pharmacy.
Federal authorities announced last week that Courtney recently admitted diluting 72 drugs, dating back to at least 1992 and affecting about 400 doctors and 4,200 patients. He originally admitted diluting two chemotherapy drugs beginning in November of 2000 and intensifying in March through May of 2001.
On Monday, federal investigators said they were looking into whether the dilutions may have dated back as far as 1985, when Courtney first became a pharmacist.
Kansas officials mailed letters Friday to between 100 and 200 doctors — mainly in the Kansas City area — notifying them that their patients may have received diluted drugs.
Courtney, 49, pleaded guilty in February to 20 counts of tampering and adulterating or misbranding the chemotherapy drugs Taxol and Gemzar. Based on Courtney's latest statements, the FBI now thinks he watered down 72 drugs, including antibiotics, AIDS medicine and anti-nausea medications.
Under Courtney's plea agreement, he cannot be sentenced to more than 30 years in prison. If he is sentenced to more time, he can withdraw his guilty plea and seek a trial.
The plea requires Courtney to reveal everything he knows about all violations of the law that he committed or he knows of others committing. If prosecutors determine he has not been completely truthful, more charges can be pursued and the new information obtained from debriefing him may be used against him, according to the plea agreement.
School districts face budget woes
The Associated Press
WICHITA — School districts across Kansas are slashing jobs and programs as the state continues grappling with a projected $700 million budget shortfall that could mean reduced or stagnant education funding.
Wichita school board members Monday got a first look at a ranked list of proposed budget cuts that would eliminate 178 jobs, including nearly 100 teaching positions.
School officials for three of the state's largest districts — Wichita, Shawnee Mission and Lawrence — each discussed budget cuts during meetings Monday night.
In Wichita, the job cuts include assistant principals, elementary band and orchestra teachers, classroom teachers, social workers, librarians, nurses, counselors, electricians, painters, custodial and lunch period aides.
clerks and paraeducators.
Wichita school officials said they hoped to take care of the job cuts through attrition, if state lawmakers decided not to reduce state aid to school districts and maintain the same per-student state aid of $3,870.
The suggested cuts — totaling about $8.1 million, or 5 percent of the district's budget — were identified by committees of staff and community members.
Superintendent Winston Brooks told the school board Monday the district would have to cut $10 million in programs even if it gets the same amount of funding because of other rising costs such as health insurance.
He warned the district's enrollment could decline because of recent aircraft layoffs.
If the Legislature decides to cut state aid, discussions would turn to layoffs and closing schools, school officials said.
"It ain't pretty," said board member Lynn Rogers.
School officials in Lawrence are anticipating up to $4.5 million in spending cuts and say fee increases could be needed in the 2002-03 school year to balance the budget.
The suburban Kansas City school district of Shawnee Mission announced Monday it had already started implementing spending reductions the district staff recommended in January. The cuts include money for 10 school nursing jobs, the district's foreign-language center and almost $300,000 in library books and subscriptions.
The school board voted Monday not to renew the contracts of 65 nontenured educators. The decision had to be made before May or the district would be obliged to retain all certified staff not receiving notification.
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