Posted on 11/26/2019 5:07:39 AM PST by rightwingintelligentsia
It's a disturbing case that shocked the nation and a Westmoreland County veteran was one of the victims.
It happened at the Johnson VA Medical Center in Clarksburg, West Virginia, over a three-day span in April 2018. Investigators say three patients on the same floor, including a local man, died by the same method and had the same cause of death.
The more FBI investigators looked into it, the more they believed there was a serial killer in the hospital.
Felix Kirk McDermott was laid to rest at the Westmoreland County Memorial Park. He was 82 years old. The retired Army sergeant served in Vietnam. He grew up in Ruffs Dale, Westmoreland County.
But his final days were spent near his daughters, at the Louis A. Johnson VA Medical Center in Clarksburg, West Virginia.
--snip--
An autopsy report confirmed that McDermott did not die of natural causes, but had a shot of insulin in his stomach hours before his death, which caused a sharp dip in his blood sugar level.
"It was a homicide," Proctor said. "That he had an injection of insulin to his stomach, dad wasn't a diabetic. He shouldn't have any insulin anywhere."
His wasn't the only suspicious death. In the previous months "nine or 10 patients had received a large and wrongful injection of insulin that was neither ordered by a doctor or medically necessary" resulting in their deaths.
(Excerpt) Read more at wpxi.com ...
My aunt almost got a shot of insulin & she’s not diabetic. She was at a hospital rehab facility after surgery - she was napping & woke up with a nurse standing over her, shot needle in hand. The question was asked ‘what is that for?’ because she was only on tablet meds. ‘It’s your insulin’ was the reply at which point my aunt exclaimed ‘I am NOT diabetic - you are NOT giving me that shot’. The nurse looked funny, then quickly left the room. A mistake I’m sure, but it could have been a fatal one.
The Claus von Bulow murder case revolved around insulin being used as a possible murder weapon.
I bet this is just the tip of the iceberg and they will do their best to make this go away.Maddening.
“nine or 10 patients had received a large and wrongful injection of insulin that was neither ordered by a doctor or medically necessary”
9 or 10 too many, why no investigation after #1 ?
Or someone mislabeled blood thinner shots.
Happens more frequently than you might imagine. Further, there are definitely medical staff, including nurses and physicians, who are substance abusers - and this can contribute as well.
In most modern / compliant hospitals all medications come out of a Pyxis Med Station - type of locked electronic 'cabinet', that monitors who opened it and all the inventory. It makes it harder for mistakes to happen, AND for people to try to kill someone with hospital acquired medications.
Still, if someone has intent, they'll probably find a way.
It's obviously tragic and very sad that this happened. I hope they figure it out ASAP.
https://www.cnbc.com/2018/02/22/medical-errors-third-leading-cause-of-death-in-america.html
Eugenicists don’t care. By any means necessary. Useless eaters? Deplorables? Bitter clingers to life?
Just the Hospital Aquired Infections are killing people left and right. Hospitals are filthy...on purpose?
So the insane person used a needle instead of a gun.
If the Lefties were not the hypocrites they are, they’d be calling for laws requiring the registration and lock-up of every needle in every hospital, safety measures on access to every needle, fingerprinting of every employee in a hospital, a control point in every hospital where someone guards the needles and requires notice from two doctors to get any needle checked out and requires every needle to be returned and secured at the checkout point for disposal - CAUSE NEEDLES KILL YA KNOW.
Further, there are definitely medical staff, including nurses and physicians, who are substance abusers ,,,
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Caught a nurse (in a ‘bad’ nursing home) stealing morphine from someone on hospice & in their last days ... being kept in a morphine coma because they were in the last stage of pulmonary hypertension and were suffering severe air hunger. Let’s just say the situation wasn’t “pretty” when I had to deal with it. Also, I ‘fired’ one of her doctors several months earlier - 2 weeks later, he was arrested for writing opioid prescriptions for people who were not his patients.
From experience with the dying person above, my aunt, & others in the family, I have found that if able, a patient should question every pill and shot. If unable to do so, they absolutely need an ‘advocate’ to monitor what is going on & keep track of nurse/doctor visits, etc.
Mercy Narries
I agree entirely.
That is simply not feasible. Together, my wife and I have had 4 parents who spent their last days in nursing homes. They all required 24 hour per day care, including feeding, turning in bed every couple of hours, AND medication multiple times per day. There was simply not enough family time to monitor that continuously. We had to find and trust competent facilities. Remember, MOST caregivers are competent and trustworthy. It is possible to find them.
Don’t EVER use a blacklight in a hospital room; IT’S SCARY!
I was referring mostly to hospital stays as far as someone staying with the patient if at all possible.
As for nursing homes, my comments are not “pie-in-the sky” talking off the top of my head. I spent 3 years of being a MPOA for someone ‘abandoned’ by family in a nursing home. It was daily dealing with the facility to provide a minimum standard of care as required by their own policies (which were to ensure compliance with Fed/State regulations so they were in violation of those as well), and I also ended up needing/getting the help of a Federal ombudsman. Moving her was not an option or I would have done it.
We could go on about this at great length ... I’ll just end with this: YMMV (your mileage may vary). Yes, there are better facilities than what I had to deal with - even in that facility, there were staff that were caring & competent - we shared hugs, tears, prayers (which we all needed!). It sounds like you were blessed with great care for your parents ... be very thankful that you have not been subjected to the other side of the coin - it’s more common than most people would imagine.
The VA is a serial killer. I have been in acute renal failure since June. I’m still waiting for a referral to a nephrologist. The VA seemingly has it as a financial policy to wait for us to die.
The serial killer is the United States government.
That’s so sad and infuriating you have to go through that. Our Veterans deserve the best! My prayers are with you.
“they absolutely need an ‘advocate’ to monitor what is going on”
I totally agree. When my mom was sick, either my sister or I, or both together, were at her bedside every minute keeping track of what was going on. The lady in the other bed in the room had nobody; it was so sad.
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