Eighteen former patients, or families of patients who died, have filed a $303 million medical malpractice and wrongful death lawsuit against Asante Rogue Regional Medical Center in Medford, Ore., over a drug diversion case that allegedly harmed dozens of patients, according to the Rogue Valley Times.
The lawsuit, filed on Sept. 3 in Jackson County Circuit Court, alleges that the hospital neglected to recruit, train and oversee employees adequately to prevent drug diversion, according to the report. The lawsuit also says Asante Rogue Regional failed to protect patients from nonsterile tap water.
When reached by Becker's, a hospital spokesperson declined to comment, citing an active legal matter.
Dani Schofield, a former nurse at Asante Rogue Regional, was arrested in June and indicted by a grand jury on 44 counts of assault in the second degree. The 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 causing serious harm by substituting fentanyl in IV bags with unsterile tap water, leading to infections. While several victims identified by the police investigation died, medical experts could not confirm if the infections directly caused the deaths.
The case, filed Sept. 3 by Medford attorney David deVilleneuve of Shlesinger & deVilleneuve, does not name Ms. Schofield as a defendant, according to the Times. She is named in a separate $11.5 million lawsuit filed in February against the hospital and Ms. Schofield, claiming the nurse's drug diversion led to the death of 65-year-old Horace Wilson.
A pre-trial appearance for Ms. Schofield's criminal trial is set for Sept. 9, according to the Times.
Asante Rogue Regional is part of Asante Health Network, a three-hospital system based in Medford.