Asante Rogue Regional Medical Center in Medford, Ore., is facing more than $488 million in lawsuits related to a former nurse's alleged drug diversion.
In June, Dani Schofield, a former nurse at Asante, was arrested and charged with 44 counts of second-degree assault. Her arrest followed a seven-month investigation by Medford police into claims of medication theft and concerns of adverse patient care at the hospital. Ms. Schofield is accused of "intentionally or knowingly" causing serious harm to patients by allegedly swapping fentanyl from IV bags with unsterile tap water.
The latest lawsuit related to the alleged drug diversion was filed Nov. 14 on behalf of three plaintiffs — two of whom died after acquiring infections — and seeks more than $22 million in damages, according to a report from Jefferson Public Radio. In total, the hospital is facing civil lawsuits from 23 parties.
The largest complaint, filed Sept. 3 in Jackson County Circuit Court, seeks nearly $338 million in damages. It was filed by 18 former patients, or families of patients who died, and claims Asante Rogue Regional failed to adequately oversee employees to prevent drug diversion and protect patients.
Authorities started an investigation after hospital officials notified police in December about a spike in patients who developed central-line associated infections. After an internal probe, the hospital determined that the infections occurred among intensive care unit patients who were under Ms. Schofield's care between July 2022 and July 2023.
According to police, the 44 charges reflect the number of patients affected by the former nurse's alleged criminal actions. Several victims identified through the investigation died, though medical experts could not confirm the deaths were directly caused by the infections.
A pretrial conference for Ms. Schofield is set for Dec. 30. She faces a minimum sentence of 70 months for each charge, according to Jefferson Public Radio.
The hospital declined to comment on the lawsuits. Asante Rogue Regional is part of Asante Health Network, a three-hospital system based in Medford.