Evidence local veterinarian Tamara Zimmerman was dependent on prescription drugs ? and ordered narcotic painkillers she could not account for ? prompted the state to issue an emergency order temporarily suspending Dr. Zimmerman’s license.
Premise permit registration for her TLC Veterinary Clinic also has been suspended temporarily. The clinic is located just off of U.S. 77 highway south of Winfield.
The four-page order from the Kansas Board of Veterinary Examiners, issued Sept. 14, concluded the Cowley County veterinarian was an “immediate danger to the public health, safety or welfare.” She will have a chance to answer the allegations against her at a hearing in Wamego Oct. 31.
Zimmerman’s office issued a statement denying the allegations that can be read here.
In the meantime, the clinic can only board pets and sell products, a local official said. Zimmerman was ordered to have someone available to answer TLC’s phone during normal office hours. TLC must also provide clients with medical records either directly or by mail within 24 hours of receiving the request.
The state’s board of veterinary examiners issues licenses and permits for veterinarians and the properties at which they practice. Zimmerman was licensed in 1998 and TLC’s premise permit was current through June 2008.
An attempt to contact the clinic was not successful and a phone message left there was not returned.
Investigators from the state and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration visited TLC last month to audit drug records and the clinic’s stock of controlled substances. Large quantities of prescription drugs ? which Zimmerman had authority to order using a valid registration from the DEA ? were missing and unaccounted for, according to the order obtained by NewsCow.
The substances included morphine sulfate and hydromorphone in tablet and injectable forms. Both substances are potent narcotic level painkillers whose distribution is monitored closely by the DEA. Hydromorphone is probably best known by the brand name Dilaudid in the U.S.
On Sept. 6, Zimmerman acknowledged violating state and federal guidelines for controlled substances and surrendered her DEA privileges. The violations included storing drugs in a unlocked safe that was accessible to the general public.
A pair of purchase orders for controlled substances made in April and August of this year were filled out by Zimmerman’s husband, Ark City’s Dr. Edward Zimmerman, and signed by Tamara Zimmerman, the order stated. Some of the drugs ordered were kept at Edward Zimmerman’s office.
The couple live in Ark City.
TLC clinic employees and a colleague, Dr. Angela Gatton, told investigators Zimmerman displayed clear signs of being addicted or habitually dependent on prescription drugs. The employees felt their boss was “impaired to the point that she is not competent to practice veterinary medicine.”
Zimmerman often showed signs of being a person under the influence of narcotic medications, employees said. Those signs included negligent and incompetent work performance, where previously she was competent and efficient; mood swings, excessive absenteeism and clear inattention to grooming and personal hygiene.
Dr. Gatton had run the day-to-day operations of the clinic for the most part, as Zimmerman’s time spent at work diminished. When Gatton announced she was leaving she became concerned that Zimmerman would return to a more prominent role at the clinic.
Gatton noticed the level of care Zimmerman provided had deteriorated over the last several months. Some animals showed excessive post-surgical bruising, Gatton told investigators.
The order states Zimmerman acknowledged she had no medical condition requiring the use of narcotic medication and did not have a prescription for the drugs. Her name appears on a form in the document confirming it was personally delivered.
