Dear Colleagues:
Many of you have read the news stories and seen the body camera video of an interaction in July between Salt Lake City Police and one of our nurses, Alex Wubbels. As a result of this event we feel it is important to address this issue with staff and faculty, express our support for Nurse Wubbels and reaffirm our commitment to safety and privacy of our patients.
During a stressful situation Nurse Wubbels chose to focus first and foremost on the care and well-being of her patient. She followed hospital procedures and protocols in this matter and was acting in her patient's best interest. Both nursing and hospital administration extend our full support to Nurse Wubbels and express our appreciation for her commitment to put a patient's interests ahead of her own.
It is important to note that during this incident, nursing and hospital administration were present and actively working to find a solution ultimately leading to the release of Nurse Wubbels. Within hours of the incident taking place, nursing and hospital administration also called a meeting with our law enforcement partners to express our concern and seek better solutions for future instances. Since the event took place, we have continued to work with local law enforcement to create a clear policy that, during similar instances, allows for open communication with hospital administrators while protecting our colleagues who directly care for patients.
In the event that law enforcement requests or requires a blood sample from a patient, they should immediately be directed to the House Supervisor on duty at that time, who will then work to find a sensible solution. With this update in policy, anyone who cares for patients should never worry about making decisions at a moment's notice other than those that affect the direct care of their patients.
Thank you for your continued work and dedication to our patients. We express our appreciation to you and hope you feel free to ask any questions that need to be addressed.
Sincerely,
Gordon Crabtree
Chief Executive Officer鈥擴niversity of Utah Hospital
Dan Lundergan
Chief Operating Officer鈥擴niversity of Utah Hospital
Margaret Pearce
Chief Nursing Officer鈥擴niversity of Utah Hospital