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An incident at a Chapel Hill nursing home is being investigated after several patients mysteriously tested positive for opiates, officials said Wednesday.

The Britthaven of Chapel Hill nursing home, which has a spotty record of patient care, notified state and local authorities after a female patient's blood tests showed the presence of opiates, though she had not been prescribed the narcotic.

That patient, whose name was not released, died of an unrelated bout of pneumonia, said Phillip Hill, vice president of operations for Britt haven, Inc.

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A probe into the improper medication of patients at a Britthaven nursing home in Chapel Hill has been turned over to the State Bureau of Investigation, officials said Friday.

Several patients at the 133-bed nursing home, which has had quality care problems in recent years, had blood tests that came back positive for opiates, even though the drugs were not prescribed. Two patients were hospitalized.

The case came to light when a woman in the Alzheimer's unit was taken to the hospital and died of pneumonia. Her blood tests came back positive for opiates, prompting the inquiry.

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