BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (AP) -- A central California retirement home is defending one of its nurses who refused pleas by a 911 operator to perform CPR on an elderly woman, who later died.
"Is there anybody that's willing to help this lady and not let her die," dispatcher Tracey Halvorson says on a 911 tape released by the Bakersfield Fire Department aired by several media outlets on Sunday.
"Not at this time," said the nurse, who didn't give her full name and said facility policy prevented her from giving the woman medical help.
At the beginning of the Tuesday morning call, the nurse asked for paramedics to come and help the woman who had collapsed in the home's dining room and was barely breathing.
Halvorson pleads for the nurse to perform CPR, and after several refusals she starts pleading for her to find a resident, or a gardener, or anyone not employed by the home to get on the phone, take her instructions and help the woman.
"Can we flag someone down in the street and get them to help this lady?" Halvorson says on the call. "Can we flag a stranger down? I bet a stranger would help her."
The 87-year-old was later declared dead at Mercy Southwest Hospital, officials said.
The executive director of Glenwood Gardens, Jeffrey Toomer, defended the nurse's actions in a statement, saying she did indeed follow policy.
"In the event of a health emergency at this independent living community our practice is to immediately call emergency medical personnel for assistance and to wait with the individual needing attention until such personnel arrives," Toomer said in a written statement. "That is the protocol we followed."
Toomer offered condolences to the woman's family and said a "thorough internal review" of the incident would be conducted.
He told KGET-TV that residents of the home's independent living community are informed of the policy and agree to it when they move in. He said the policy does not apply at the adjacent assisted living and skilled nursing facilities.
A call to the facility by The Associated Press seeking more information on the incident was not immediately returned.
Saturday, May 25 2013 9:26 PM EDT2013-05-26 01:26:30 GMT
New Yorkers know that finding street parking is not easy. Drivers can circle for a minute or even an hour – and even then you still may not find that parking spot.
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Saturday, May 25 2013 8:49 PM EDT2013-05-26 00:49:32 GMT
AAA Mid-Atlantic says the average price of a gallon of regular gasoline in New Jersey on Friday was $3.42, up 3 cents from last week. But that's still lower than the price from a year ago
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Saturday, May 25 2013 8:47 PM EDT2013-05-26 00:47:11 GMT
Internal Affairs officers on Saturday were looking into allegations made by actress Amanda Bynes that NYPD officers sexually assaulted her when she was charged with heaving a marijuana bong out the window
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Saturday, May 25 2013 6:52 PM EDT2013-05-25 22:52:40 GMT
It once was an accepted tactic as old as policing itself and, according to the NYPD, a key to the city's dramatic drop in crime: patrol officers stopping young men on the street to see if they're up to no good.
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Saturday, May 25 2013 6:36 PM EDT2013-05-25 22:36:58 GMT
Members of the American Legion Post 1 honored their own this Memorial Day. The veterans association decorated the graves of veterans at the Cemetery of the Madonna in Leonia Saturday morning.
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Saturday, May 25 2013 6:25 PM EDT2013-05-25 22:25:11 GMT
Authorities are investigating the death of a 4-week old baby in the Bronx Saturday morning. Police say they were contacted by officials from North Central Bronx Hospital around 9:50 a.m.
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Saturday, May 25 2013 6:13 PM EDT2013-05-25 22:13:45 GMT
Nassau County police have once again arrested the woman who was convicted last year for offering services as a prostitute from her hot dog vending truck.
Nassau County police have once again arrested the woman who was convicted last year for offering services as a prostitute from her hot dog vending truck.
Saturday, May 25 2013 5:51 PM EDT2013-05-25 21:51:03 GMT
While some business may be have been dismal at the beaches, a lot of people who needed to venture out and keep busy Saturday found things to do – and stay dry.
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Saturday, May 25 2013 5:08 PM EDT2013-05-25 21:08:28 GMT
Nassau County health officials announced that due to heavy rainfall, 19 beaches have been closed to bathing as a precautionary measure beginning Saturday, May 25.
Nassau County health officials announced that due to heavy rainfall, 19 beaches have been closed to bathing as a precautionary measure beginning Saturday, May 25.
