As a certified nursing assistant for over 20 years, Pam McCord has lived his dream.
“I enjoy my work. It’s my passion. I love taking care of others,” she told WRAL Investigates.
The dream turned into a nightmare on April 2 when she tried to help a patient at Raleigh’s Cypress Nursing Home.
“I think I pulled my muscles when I lifted him,” McCord said.
McCord went to check out at Fast Med Urgent Care on Millbrook Avenue as a precautionary measure for workers’ compensation. This process involved more than just examining McCord’s back.
“She told me that we would have to do a drug test, and I said,’It’s okay,'” McCord said.
A few days later, I got a phone call that shocked McCord.
“They told me that my drug test was positive for cocaine,” McCord said. “At that moment, I was just surprised. I said it wasn’t my urine test.”
McCord feels that he must have made a mistake.
“In my life, I never used medicine,” McCord said. “I said,’Something is wrong. Something is wrong.'”
“I said,’Please help me in this situation.'”
However, WRAL Investigates has found that when it comes to drug test results, the power lies with the employer, not the employee. Cypress quoted the policy and immediately fired McCord and received her health insurance and benefits.
“At that point, I just got lost,” she said.
McCord asked FastMed, where the tests were conducted, and Alere, a Virginia-based lab. They support the result.
A week later she had a hair follicle test. This is generally considered to be more accurate than a urine test and detects drug use over a long period of time. She returned to negative. Her former employer, Cypress, wasn’t impressed, despite the employment sign on the building.
“It could have been a completely different urine sample,” claims lawyer Desmond Andrade.
McCord has hired Andrade to assist in investigating the testing process and handling of test specimens. To further strengthen her case, Andrade sent a macord to get another hair follicle a month later. The extra time allowed more hair to grow, which would increase the likelihood that Macord would detect cocaine if the drug was used. Again, the test returned to negative.
McCord says the only medicine in her system was an appetite pill. While there are many common medicines that can lead to false-positive drug test results, not many are known to mimic cocaine.
The sample was retested to be positive according to state law and lab policy. The result was the same. Andrade is still questioning the whole process.
“But that doesn’t take any action, and the second test on their own dime has no checks and balances to make sure they actually get accurate results. Again, very much. It’s a shame, “Andrade said.
When McCord is considering legal action, she is most worried about regaining her good name.
“My personality has been ruined, my reputation,” McCord said.
McCord also warns others who may question drug tests.
“I don’t want to see anyone experience it … the pain I had to experience,” McCord said. “You fight for the right thing, and that’s why I’m trying to put my story out there.”
Source: www.wral.com
