In Oregon, at Asante Rogue Regional Medical Center, we got to see a serious lawsuit, which we now know as this famous Oregon Hospital Lawsuit. For those who don’t know yet, eighteen previous patients of the medical center and their families are suing the hospital claiming the place is responsible for many of the patients who suffered acute pains, infections, and even perished. Right now though, they are demanding a whopping $303 million in damages. The central issue in the case is nurse Dani Marie Schofield, who is accused of manipulating patients’ IV bags. It has been claimed that Ms. Schofield took out fentanyl, a very potent pain reliever, and switched it to tap water, which led to infections and an inability to relieve the patient’s pain.
Background of the Lawsuit
Patients treated at Asante Rogue Regional Medical Center, nine of whom have since died, their families filed a lawsuit against the hospital. The main point of the lawsuit is that the hospital failed to properly monitor medication handling, allowing Schofield to tamper with IVs for more than a year without anyone knowing it.
The agony and infections that the patients went through could have been avoided if only the hospital had properly monitored the staff, claimed the patients.
Timeline of Events
So all this started back in July 2022 when patients in the ICU developed bacterial infections. Just so you know though, the problem was not identified for over a year. After the December 2023 identification by the hospital, it was learned that Schofield was the one who had been changing the water from fentanyl patients. This information was only given to patients after the incident was discovered, you know?
So yes, an investigation was initiated by the police and Schofield was arrested in June 2024. Currently, she is related to 44 counts of assault because of her actions, and in September 2024, the patients and their families decided to file a lawsuit where they now seek $303 million in damages.
Impact on Patients and Families
The patients impacted suffered greatly due to their health conditions. And we could only imagine how much pain they had to suffer before it ended for them. From the very start, they did not receive proper pain treatment, and some of them suffered from serious infections because of the contaminated IVs. As you may already know, nine patients have already died and their families are the ones filing this legal action now.
The lawsuit seeks damages for the medical bills, lost earnings, and mental anguish experienced by patients due to the alleged carelessness of the hospital.
Investigation and Findings
If you don’t know yet, the hospital first saw the problem after ICU infection rates increased. The health sector was notified in December 2023, linking the cluster of infections to Schofield by law enforcement. Professional doctors went through the three patients’ cases and confirmed that in cases of contaminated IVs, the patients were victims, suffering greatly. Thus, while not all deaths were direct results of the infections, it was still obvious that the tampered medications were the culprits in them.
