Nurse refuses CPR for dying elderly woman

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. -- A nurse's refusal to give CPR to a dying 87-year-old woman at an independent living home despite desperate pleas from a 911 dispatcher has prompted outrage and spawned a criminal investigation.

The harrowing 7-minute, 16-second call also raised concerns that policies at senior living facilities could prevent staff from intervening in medical emergencies. It prompted calls Monday for legislation to prevent a repeat of what happened Feb. 26 at the Glenwood Gardens.

Loraine Bayless collapsed in the dining room of the retirement home that offers many levels of care. She lived in the independent living building, which state officials said is like a senior apartment complex and doesn't operate under licensing oversight.

During the call, an unidentified woman asked for paramedics to be sent to help the woman. Later, a woman who identified herself as the nurse got on the phone and told dispatcher Tracey Halvorson she was not permitted to do CPR on the woman.

Halvorson urged the nurse to start CPR, warning the consequences could be dire if no one tried to revive the woman.

"I understand if your boss is telling you, you can't do it," the dispatcher said. "But . . . as a human being . . . you know, is there anybody that's willing to help this lady and not let her die?"

"Not at this time," the nurse answered.

Independent living facilities "should not have a policy that says you can stand there and watch somebody die," said Pat McGinnis of California Advocates for Nursing Home Reform, a consumer advocacy group. "How a nurse can do that is beyond comprehension."

State officials did not know whether the woman who talked to the 911 dispatcher was in fact a nurse, or just identified herself as one during the call. -- AP