Utah hospital bars police contact with nurses after "appalling" arrest

[Tanuki]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/amphtml/news/morning-mix/wp/2017/09/04/utah-hospital-bars-cops-from-contact-with-nurses-after-appalling-arrest/
"........Gordon Crabtree, interim chief executive of the hospital, said at a Monday news conference that he was "deeply troubled" by the arrest and manhandling of burn unit nurse Alex Wubbels on July 26. In accord with hospital policy and the law, she had refused to allow a Salt Lake City police officer to take a blood sample from an unconscious patient. Wubbels obtained a copy of the body cam video of the confrontation and, after consulting her lawyer, the hospital and police officials, released it last week.

"This will not happen again," Crabtree said, praising Wubbels for "putting her own safety at risk" to "protect the rights of patients."

Margaret Pearce, chief nursing officer for the University of Utah hospital system, said she was "appalled" by the officer's actions and has already implemented changes in hospital protocol to avoid any repetition.

She said police will no longer be permitted in patient-care areas, such as the burn unit where Wubbels was the charge nurse on the day of the incident.

In addition, officers will have to deal with "house supervisors" instead of nurses when they have a request.

This will guarantee that nurses devote themselves entirely to patient care without interruptions, she said, while other officials deal with police requests"....(more)

[CaliforniaPeggy]

1. This is an excellent outcome. I am very pleased to read it.

It was extremely unfortunate that the incident happened, but at least the hospital Chief Nursing Officer is taking the entirely appropriate steps to see that such an outrage will never again happen.

K&R

[bobGandolf]

19. Agree...

I was shocked the kept it out of the news so long. Not sure how they justified it.

[NutmegYankee]

2. Until they dicipline their cowardly University Police, it doesn't matter.

University Police and Hospital Security just stood there and did not intervene in an assault on one of the very people they were supposed to protect. Those men need to be identified as well.

[Angry Dragon]

4. good point

[uponit7771]

13. +1

[yortsed snacilbuper]

20. I did a little stint as a security guard once,

the police are the biggest offenders, they think they are privileged characters.

[Binkie The Clown]

3. House supervisors: "To serve and protect us from the police." nt

[lpbk2713]

5. The police will now have to deal with a situation of their own making.

And I am delighted with the hospital's decision to stand behind Nurse Wubbels.

[Hassin Bin Sober]

6. I wonder if the offending pig still has his part time job transporting patients.

He said, on video, he was going to punish the hospital by bringing them transients and sending "good ones" elsewhere.

[KY_EnviroGuy]

11. Should not have been allowed to become a cop.

People of that mentality and disposition should not be allowed to become public servants. Proper pre-employment screening should prevent it in the public interest.

For that matter, I can't think of any profession where ego-driven bullies are appropriate.

Mesin bin sober, too!

[defacto7]

7. Hear hear!

[SunSeeker]

8. This should be the rule everywhere. Nurses need to be left alone to do there jobs.

Our lives depend on it.

[haydukelives]

9. Meanwhile

The "officer" gets off with nothing more than a paid vacation

[uponit7771]

14. +1

[demigoddess]

10. EXCELLENT! I really like the idea that they have to deal with someone besides the nurses.

and hopefully these "house supervisors" will be or have lawyers with them. Let the cops deal with lawyers.

[Denzil_DC]

12. This is a very sensible decision.

He wasted valuable nursing time with unreasonable and illegal demands, then took her totally away from her duties for no good reason.

The way that bullying thug hauled her around, it's sheer luck she didn't suffer a serious injury herself.

[Tanuki]

15. The police action, among other things, left the burn unit understaffed,

and as you say, for no reason at all other than the cop's personal and pathological impulse to punish and control a woman who stood up for a patient's legal rights. Sick and injured patients deserve better and don't need that kind of police-involved drama and disruption of care.

[NurseJackie]

16. So he got away with it? Totally scot-free? A slap on the wrist?

It was a mistake to not sue. Even if she didn't want to personally benefit from it, she could have donated the money to the burn center.

[wryter2000]

21. I don't read that as she doesn't sue

It's just the hospital administration changing protocol. She can still sue. I'm not sure the hospital has grounds to sue.

[NurseJackie]

22. I'd seen it elsewhere. Just expressing my frustration again here...

... and second-guessing what her intentions (or hopes) may have been.

[wryter2000]

24. Okay

Damn, I hope she sues.

[ismnotwasm]

17. I will always wonder

What would have happened if she had been an African American male? What actually happened was bad enough.

[dalton99a]

18. Yep. Or if there was no video

[Hassin Bin Sober]

23. The Nurse needs to sue. I sure would like to see the radio and text conversations discovered.

If they were trying to get blood to cover their own or their fellow cop's asses, that needs to come out and heads should roll.