Medford police have launched an investigation after authorities were contacted about a patient's death at Asante Rogue Regional Medical Center.
Hospital officials confirmed that police are investigating one death at Asante in Medford, although families of two alleged victims have confirmed the loss of loved ones in interviews with the Rogue Valley Times.
Lauren Van Sickle, Asante communications manager, said she was unable to comment on any reported deaths because police are investigating. Medford Police Lieutenant Geoff Kirkpatrick confirmed in a text: "We are investigating a case at Asante Rogue Regional. It is in its very preliminary stages and we have no further information we can release."
Multiple hospital sources, who declined to be identified, confirmed dozens of patients injured by medication diversion -- the act of replacing a medication with another substance. Sources allege that a hospital nurse was removing fentanyl from IV bags and replacing it with tap water. One local family shared their story with the Times, which first learned of the investigation December 23rd.
Grants Pass resident Garrett Atwood received a December 18th phone call in which he learned that his brother's death -- more than a year before on November 11, 2022 -- was allegedly caused by a central line infection that resulted after a hospital nurse replaced fentanyl with non-sterile tap water, he said.
Atwood's brother, 36-year-old combat veteran Samuel Allison, entered the hospital October 14, 2022, for liver failure. Atwood said his brother's condition had stabilized and his prognosis was good. Shortly after leaving the ICU, he presented with an infection, was transferred to Oregon Health and Science University in Portland and died within days.
Atwood claimed Asante officials informed family members that his brother's pain medication was "tampered with." Atwood further claimed that hospital officials said the infection he developed "was directly linked to the tap water that the nurse in question was replacing it with." He said hospital officials told him the employee was "no longer working in the medical field."
