More than four months after police began investigating whether a former Medford nurse grievously injured or killed hospitalized patients after allegedly stealing their prescribed fentanyl and replacing it with non-sterile tap water, the Jackson County District Attorney's Office announced Thursday that it has received the results of the investigation and now is considering whether to bring criminal charges.
The Oregonian reports the DA's Office said police interviewed dozens of witnesses and reviewed tens of thousands of documents, including medical records from Asante Rogue Regional Medical Center.
Patrick Green, chief deputy district attorney, thanked the Medford Police Department for their work "on this complex and expansive investigation." The news release from his office did not name the nurse, who is suspected of causing life-threatening infections in patients after allegedly replacing their pain medication with water.
Although the DA's office declined to share additional details, civil attorneys say they've vetted scores of former patients of the nurse and believe they've identified more than 20 patients who were victims over the past few years. Some survived, while some died, they said. It appears only one lawsuit has been filed to date, by the family of a 65-year-old man who died of an infection after he sought care at Asante for falling off a ladder.
The lawsuit named the nurse as Dani Marie Schofield. Last November, Schofield voluntarily agreed not to work as a nurse pending the outcome of an investigation, according to Oregon Board of Nursing records.
Schofield did not return a request for comment. A hospital spokesperson also did not immediately return a request for comment.
