Jessica Grubb.jpg

Jessica Grubb, 30, of Ann Arbor died March 2 after overdosing on opioids her family says the recovering heroin addict never should have gotten after surgery.

(Courtesy | David Grubb)

ANN ARBOR, MI -- Jessica Grubb went to sleep while recovering from surgery and never woke up.

The 30-year-old from West Virginia was in Ann Arbor recovering from two things: a recent hip surgery at St. Joseph Mercy Hospital and a seven-year heroin addiction.

She was a few months clean when she got an infection in her hip.

When she was discharged from the hospital, Grubb was prescribed oxycodone, a semisynthetic opioid pain reliever by the discharging physician, according to the police report. Authorities believe Grubb crushed up the oxycodone pills, mixed them with liquid and injected them into an IV port, causing a fatal overdose, the report said.

Her family is questioning why Grubb, with her history of drug abuse, was sent home with an oxycodone prescription. They say they told hospital staff repeatedly she was a recovering heroin addict.

"People are never cured of addiction," said her father, David Grubb. "It's something they have to fight day-in and day-out."

Jessica Grubb died March 2, a day after she returned to her apartment to recover, leaving her family shocked and grieving, and prompting St. Joseph to launch an investigation into the circumstances surrounding Grubbs' death.

"St. Joseph Mercy Ann Arbor has extended its deepest sympathies to the Grubb family on the loss of their daughter Jessica. The hospital is currently undertaking an internal investigation, and while we can't comment on the same, we have assured the family that we will share findings of our internal review with them once it concludes," said a written statement from Dr. Rosalie Tocco-Bradley, chief medical officer at St. Joseph Mercy Hospital.

A seven-year addiction

Jessica Grubb at the beach on Lake Michigan in Holland.

A lively young woman, Grubb was a leader with a promising future when she went off to study at the University of North Carolina at Asheville.

But she was raped during her first semester, according to her family. An acquaintance introduced Grubb to heroin as she dealt with the trauma of the sexual assault. The heroin took the pain away, family members said, and that was the start of her addiction.

Grubb had a near-fatal overdose in August 2015, surviving only because her mother, Kate Grubb, performed CPR and paramedics administered naloxone.

In October, Kate and David Grubb told President Barack Obama about their daughter on national TV during a town hall meeting. Her story touched the president deeply, his staff told the Huffington Post.

During that town hall meeting, Jessica Grubb was at Dawn Farm in Ypsilanti for an extended recovery. She moved there in September, having heard good things about the facility.

While her experience was good at first, her father said, the recovery center suddenly asked her to leave in October after discovering she had an inhaler for exercise-induced asthma.

A bronchioid inhaler can suppress the appetite, and Jessica Grubb also had an eating disorder. Dawn Farm officials told Jessica Grubb they couldn't deal with both her addiction and the eating disorder, David Grubb said.

James Balmer, Dawn Farm president, said federal confidentiality laws mandate he cannot acknowledge any current or former patient at Dawn Farm.

After leaving Dawn Farm, Jessica Grubb remained in Ann Arbor, a city she grew to love. She had a support group, a great apartment and plans to return to college, her father said.

"She felt like that was going to be her home for the rest of her life," David Grubb said.

A dangerous prescription

In early 2016, Jessica Grubb developed a bacterial infection because of a running injury. She had surgery Feb. 24 at St. Joseph Mercy Hospital and went home March 1.

David Grubb said they had a great experience at St. Joseph Mercy Hospital. The doctors and staff were compassionate and wanted to do the right thing, he said.

Jessica Grubb's parents went home to West Virginia, and the last time they talked to her was the evening of March 1. She told her family she was tired and was about to fall asleep. Her parents knew she had an IV port in her arm for antibiotics, but they didn't know about the prescription for an opioid pain reliever.

When she didn't respond the next day, Kate Grubb called the Ann Arbor Police Department for a welfare check.

An officer found her body in her bed. Eight of the 50 oxycodone pills were missing, according to the police report, which The Ann Arbor News obtained through the Freedom of Information Act.

Police officers found residue of the green pills where it appears she crushed them in a ceramic bowl and a syringe on the floor filled with green liquid, the police report states.

"It's so heartbreaking for us because she was on such a good path," David Grubb said.

He said family members told hospital staff about Jessica's addiction several times.

Hospital officials would not comment on how or why Jessica Grubb was prescribed the oxycodone.

St. Joseph Mercy Hospital.

Tocco-Bradley said the hospital and medical staff leadership formed a task force to develop a comprehensive approach for the treatment of patients with a history of substance abuse.

"St. Joe's remains committed to addressing the complicated issues surrounding addiction and substance abuse in our communities. We will be inviting the family to participate in the development of this initiative as it progresses," Tocco-Bradley continued.

The investigation should be complete in about a month, said spokeswoman Laura Blodgett.

Jessie's Law

The Grubb family is working through the grief, working to honor their daughter's memory and trying to ensure this doesn't happen again.

The family is fundraising to create a residential living facility called "Jessie's Place" for adults with developmental disabilities such as autism.

One of the family's four daughters, 21-year-old Emma, is autistic. Jessica Grubb had promised her parents she'd take care of her sister should anything happen to them. Instead, a residential home named in her honor could do the same for Emma and others.

Another piece in their efforts is Jessie's Law, a bill that would prohibit doctors and hospitals from prescribing opioids and other addictive drugs to known recovering addicts.

U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin, D-West Virginia, introduced the bill in Congress last week.

"Jessie's death is particularly heartbreaking because it was 100 percent preventable," he said during a Senate session on April 13.

The Grubb family continues to work toward these goals and celebrating their daughter's birthdays and another daughter's wedding.

But it's not easy.

"It's a daily struggle for me. Part of me wants to do this and fight, but you know the father in me wants to collapse," David Grubb said. "What happened was really wrong. We're just trying to make something good come of it."

Lindsay Knake is a cops and courts reporter for The Ann Arbor News. Follow her on twitter or contact her at 989-372-2498 or lknake@mlive.com.