East Norwich Doctor Jailed for Oxy Pushing

By Mike O’Reilly
An East Norwich medical doctor, Alan Nelson, age 79, was convicted of prescribing nearly 100,000 milligrams of oxycodone to a single patient, and is suspected of mass-prescribing the drug without to at least a dozen other patients.
After nearly 50 years of practicing medicine, Nelson was ordered to close his office and to surrender his medical license.
Nelson was sentenced to six months in prison, three years of supervised release, six months of home confinement and a $20,000 fine.
The sentence appears to be lenient, in light of prior sentences doled out for similar offenses. Part of the sentencing decision was based upon Nelson's age - 79 - and his declining physical and mental health.
By contrast, George Blatti, a medical doctor in Mineola, was recently sentenced to 5-15 years in prison for over-prescribing opioids to patients, many of whom he never even met.
That case was admittedly more egregious than Nelson's, and led to the death of 5 people, but a similar outcome could well have occurred in Dr. Nelson’s case.
There is a misconception that those addicted to this drug are homeless and laying in an inner-city ally. The truth is that they are more likely to be suburban Moms or Dads.
Nelson practiced as a family medicine doctor in East Norwich, and was affiliated with multiple hospitals in the area, including Glen Cove Hospital and North Shore University Hospital. He received his medical degree from the University of Guadalajara in Mexico.