MEDFORD, Ore. — The family of a patient who died in 2022 at Asante Rogue Regional Medical Center in Medford has filed a multi-million dollar lawsuit against the hospital and nurse Dani Schofield, accusing her of stealing the patient's intravenous pain medication and replacing it with non-sterile tap water that caused fatal bacterial infections in his bloodstream.
KGW's news partner KOBI reported in January that, according to hospital sources and family members who spoke to the station, as many as nine patients died after an unnamed nurse in the Asante Intensive Care Unit injected them with tap water to cover up the theft of their fentanyl-based pain medication.
The Medford Police Department confirmed that they are actively investigating allegations of theft and misuse of controlled substances by an Asante employee, but they would not confirm the suspect's identity. No charges have been filed in that case.
"Since December 2023, investigators have been diligently working on this case," the agency said in a Feb. 28 statement. "Numerous interviews have been conducted, with many more yet to be completed. We are meticulously reviewing thousands of documents, including medical records, which require thorough examination and consultation with experts in the medical field."
KGW cannot confirm if Schofield is the nurse referenced in prior reporting or if the patient named in the lawsuit is one of the nine who reportedly died.
The lawsuit, filed on Monday in Jackson County Circuit Court, claims that 65-year-old Horace Wilson was admitted to the hospital on Jan. 27, 2022 after falling from a ladder. Doctors performed surgery to repair a laceration to his spleen, and he appeared to improve for about five days but then developed complications that required three more surgeries.
Wilson was kept on a constant IV during his stay, injecting him with fluids and medication to treat low blood pressure. His blood pressure should have improved after the surgery, according to the lawsuit, but it remained persistently low, which can be a sign of sepsis. He also developed other signs of infection such as a fever and rising white blood cell count.
Blood samples from Wilson tested positive for the bacteria Staphylococcus epidermidis on Feb. 6 and 8. It grew along the catheters and medical devices in his bloodstream, according to the lawsuit, "and thereafter became essentially impossible to eradicate." He developed treatment-resistant sepsis that led to multi-system organ failure, and he died on Feb. 25, 2022.
The lawsuit alleges that Schofield had been tasked with administering Wilson's pain medication during his stay by attaching bags of saline mixed with small doses of fentanyl to drip into his IV tube. The lawsuit claims she replaced the entire solution with tap water on multiple occasions, thereby introducing the bacteria into Wilson's bloodstream.
The lawsuit claims that Asante reported three blood infections associated with IV lines in 2021 and 15 cases in 2022, and that the hospital acknowledged in April 2023 that the infections were linked to bacteria, but said there was no water contamination at the facility.
Oregon State Board of Nursing records show Schofield's license was restricted by a Nov. 22, 2023 disciplinary order in which she agreed to stop practicing pending completion of an investigation. The lawsuit states that hospital officials first reported to police in early December 2023 that a former employee may have been stealing fentanyl medication, and began contacting families later that month to tell them that a nurse had caused infections by replacing fentanyl with tap water.
"Asante knew or should have known of the high likelihood of opioid diversion by one of its employees for their own use given the prevalence of such acts throughout the United States, especially after Asante discovered diversion of controlled substances by one of its nurses from about August 2016 through July 2017," the lawsuit states.
The lawsuit seeks up to $10 million for Wilson's pain and suffering due to not receiving the fentanyl medication, $975,000 for medical expenses incurred by his estate, and attorney fees. Otherwise, the complaint demands $500,000 for his family due to his wrongful death.
Asante did not respond to a request for comment on the litigation.