Assisted Living Staff Nurse Refuses to Provide CPR to Dying Resident

Bakersfield fire dispatcher Tracey Halvorson pleaded with the
woman on the other end of the line to start CPR on an elderly woman who was
barely breathing. "It's a human being," Halvorson said, speaking
quickly. "Is there anybody that's willing to help this lady and not let
her die?" The woman paused. "Um, not at this time." According to
a 911 tape released by the Bakersfield Fire Department, the woman told
Halvorson that she was a nurse at Glenwood Gardens, a senior living facility in
Bakersfield. But the nurse refused to give the woman CPR as directed by the
dispatcher, saying it was against the facility's policy for staff to do so,
according to the tape. The elderly woman was identified by KGET-TV Channel 17
as 87-year-old Lorraine Bayless. She died at Mercy Southwest Hospital, the
station reported. Jeffrey Toomer, Executive Director of Glenwood Gardens,
issued a statement on behalf of the facility, extending his sympathies to the
Bayless family. But Toomer also defended the nurse, saying she followed policy.

Source/more: Los Angeles Times