Sheriff to serve 100 days, lose license for retaliating against nurses - Mywesttexas.com: Top Stories

Winkler County Sheriff Roberts L. Roberts will serve 100 days in jail and lose his Texas Peace Officers License for retaliating against two whistleblower nurses, a judge order Tuesday.

Visiting Judge Robert Moore handed out the punishment in a Midland County court Tuesday afternoon after the sheriff was found guilty of six charges in the case: two third-degree felony counts of retaliation, two third-degree felony counts of misuse of official information, and two class A misdemeanor counts of official suppression.

Roberts faced up to 10 years in prison on the charges. Moore however sentenced the sheriff to four years in prison, which  were suspended for four years of probation; 100 days in Winkler County jail, which the sheriff will serve; a $1,000 fine for each charge ($6,000 total); a removal from office as sheriff; a waive of his right to an appeal; and a permanent surrender of his Texas Peace Officers License.

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Report: Communication Breakdown Leads to Hospital Errors - Health Blog - WSJ

We’ve written about how a small but significant number of health-care workers show disrespect for colleagues, dole out verbal abuse and engage in other unacceptable behavior. Now a new report suggests this kind of poor workplace communication can also contribute to medical errors, even if other preventive steps are being taken.

According to a two-pronged survey of operating-room and critical-care nurses conducted by their professional associations and VitalSmarts, a global training and consulting firm, 85% of 2,383 nurses surveyed said they’d been in a situation where measures put in place to reduce errors –  including checklists or hand-off protocols — warned them of a problem that would have otherwise harmed a patient.

That’s the good news. The bad is that 58% of the nurses said they’d been in situations where it was “either unsafe to speak up or they were unable to get others to listen.”

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Texas Senate panel advances bill to protect nurses | AP Texas News | Chron.com - Houston Chronicle

A Texas Senate committee approved legislation Tuesday aimed at strengthening protection for nurses who report abuse by doctors.

The bill filed by state Sen. Jane Nelson, R-Flower Mound, protects nurses from being fired, discriminated against or punished. Nurses would be immune from criminal prosecution under the bill.

The bill now goes to the full Senate. If enacted, doctors would be fined up to $25,000 if convicted of retaliation.

Lawmakers saw a need for a more stringent law after two West Texas nurses were fired and criminally charged after reporting a doctor for allegedly practicing bad medicine.

The charges were dropped against Winkler County nurse Vicki Galle, but Anne Mitchell was prosecuted for "misuse of official information" and threatened with 10 years in prison.

Galle and Mitchell anonymously filed their complaint against Dr. Rolando Arafiles with the Texas Medical Board in 2009. But with help from the sheriff, Arafiles found out who the nurses were.

Despite Mitchell's acquittal, the case stirred outrage from medical communities nationwide. Nursing advocates want to ensure nurses can report malpractice without fear of retaliation.

"Patients are best served when nurses can advocate on their behalf," Nelson said. "The case of the Winkler County nurses highlighted the need for additional protection for nurses."

Mitchell said the decision to report Arafiles was carefully considered, and one she felt she had to make on behalf of her patients.

But the price she paid was high. She said her nursing career is over, her income has been cut in half and she continues to endure the effects of being labeled a whistleblower.

"That label basically reads 'don't hire me'," she said. "Nurses are frequently the last safety net for patients. If our voices are stifled, our patients will suffer. My hope is that the passage of this bill will prevent other nurses from having to go through what we went through."

via chron.com

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