Nurse Who Refused to Administer CPR Was Following Company Policy
March 5, 2013 8:00 PM 
Over the weekend, a very disturbing and troubling news story broke in Bakersfield, California involving a nurse who refused to give CPR to a dying woman. The incident occurred at the Glenwood Gardens Independent Living Home when an 87-year-old woman, Lorraine Bayless, collapsed in the dining room of the home and later died. A staff member called 911 for help, and the dispatcher asked the staffer to begin CPR. The staffer, who identified herself as a nurse, said it was against her company’s policy to administer any life saving measures.
The dispatcher told the ‘nurse’ if she did not begin CPR, Bayless would die. The ‘nurse’ repeated it was against company policy and there was nothing she could do except wait for paramedics. The dispatcher pleaded with the woman to hand the phone over to anyone who was not employed at the home, but the woman refused. When paramedics arrived, Bayless was not breathing and was pronounced dead at the hospital a short time later.
There is now a firestorm of debate surrounding this case and how a ‘nurse’ could just stand by and watch someone die without doing anything. By the way, even though the woman identified herself as a nurse, it is not yet known if she was an actual nurse.
Nurses do not take the hippocratic oath like doctors do, but they do take an oath to help. If this woman is in fact a nurse, she could very easily lose her license and maybe even prosecuted regardless of her employer’s policies.
It should also be noted that this facility was an independent living facility and not a nursing home. Independent living facilities, at least in California, are not required to administer medical assistance and this facility says residents are made aware of this prior to moving in.
This case still raises a lot of questions, as it should. My wife is a nurse and when we saw the story on the news, she was horrified and could not believe this woman did nothing. My wife said she would have given CPR no matter what the policy says.
No criminal charges have been filed yet, but the investigation continues. There is also no evidence to show Bayless would have survived if CPR had been administered. I do believe this incident is one of these things that should prompt a big time gut check for today’s society and how we conduct ourselves. Hear the entire 911 call below.
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
What Would It Sound Like To Re-Enact Your Conversations With a 2-Year-Old With Another Adult Man?
May 23, 2013 8:00 PM Every dad knows what it's like to have a conversation with their toddler. Imagine if you will, re-enacting that conversation with another adult man playing the part of your 2-year-old daughter for example. The conversation would be the same, but the dynamic is totally different. One YouTube user decided to do that very thing.
Nashville Season One Review – Drama Galore
May 23, 2013 6:00 PM If you enjoy twists and turns of a police drama and a sexy soap with all the fun of the country music business, then you should be watching Nashville on ABC. The show wrapped its first season last night and it's been announced they're back for a second in the fall. That's good because what a cliff hanger...or hangers actually.
Country Whuppin’ – Jon Pardi Vs. Lauren Alaina
May 23, 2013 3:22 PM Jon Pardi is one win away from the Country Whuppin' Hall of Fame! To make that happen, he'll have to beat someone who's made it there twice. Let's see if the Pardianimals can hold off Lauren Alaina's new single in today's Whuppin'!
Indiana Budget Allocates More Money for Workforce Development Program
May 23, 2013 11:47 AM Indiana plans to invest more money in the state’s “WorkIN Indiana” program, as a recent peek at the new budget indicates that about $5 million will be allocated to help support things like job training, career certifications and high school equivalency degrees.
Kmart Introduces New Big Gas Savings Commercial [VIDEO]
May 23, 2013 10:53 AM From the store that brought you the controversial yet very funny, 'Ship My Pants' ad, we now have another spot that will force you to listen closely.
11 Diving Fails to Prep You for Summer
Memorial Day is coming up soon, which means the beginning of swimming season is quickly approaching. This also means plenty of painful belly flops, fully-clothed people falling into pools and our latest hilarious discovery, diving fails.
Toby Keith Heads Home to Oklahoma, Surveys Damage From Deadly Tornado
Toby Keith only recently got back into the United States after his latest USO tour, and was actually in Moore, Oklahoma right before the deadly tornado struck on Monday (May 20), but left for Nashville to record new music just hours before it touched down. When he heard about the wreckage and devastation the storm caused, he returned to his hometown the next day, ready to help and assess the damage.
Blake Shelton and NBC Organizing Benefit Concert for Oklahoma Tornado Victims
Country star and 'The Voice' coach Blake Shelton is teaming with NBC to organize a benefit for victims who were struck by the deadly tornado that devastated his home state of Oklahoma on Monday (May 20) -- and he's calling on some famous friends to help out.
Major National Anthem Flub Before Hockey Game
May 22, 2013 11:55 PM The national Anthem is one of the toughest songs to sing that there is. There have been some great versions and some really bad versions over the years - Rosanne - just sayin'. We had some great versions at the Ford Center during the recent Icemen season and just the other night, a little boy did a killer version of the anthem before the Otters game at Bosse Field that was awesome... but sometimes.
How Do You Pronounce GIF? The Creator Says We’re All Wrong Because It’s Pronounced ‘JIF’
May 22, 2013 8:00 PM There are hundreds and thousands of formats in today's computer world, but the GIF format stands alone and was even named the "word of the year" in 2012. GIF stands for 'Graphic Interchange Format'...whatever the heck that means, but it has changed computer animation as we know it. It has always been pronounced with a hard "g", like gift and apparently, that is absolutely WRONG...who knew?