[HM2Viking]

Originally Posted by nelcoy4

That's a shame. That manager should have had a heart.

But on another note, the nurses were brave to help the lady out. When things happen to people out in public, I rarely put my hands on them. I was told in my CPR class that when a health professional puts their hands on somebody (off-duty) and helps them, they are liable. I'm SO scared of getting sued. If I do help, I don't tell anybody I'm a nurse. When the paramedics come around I usually fade into the crowd.

We were taught in our nursing foundations class that (at least in MN) the Good Samaritan act requires licensed nurses to render aid to the victims of accidents etc. Failre to render aid arguably puts you in greater legal jeopardy than rendering aid.


The manager has a loose marble. Walgreens markets itself as a company dedicated to the health of its customers. From a pure public relations standpoint his store would have been absolutely golden by helping these responders render aid. I am sure that his general manager is apoplectic about this public relations nightmare.

[HM2Viking]

The Minnesota Good Samaritan Act:

604A.01 GOOD SAMARITAN LAW.
Subdivision 1. Duty to assist. A person at the scene of an emergency who knows that another
person is exposed to or has suffered grave physical harm shall, to the extent that the person can
do so without danger or peril to self or others, give reasonable assistance to the exposed person.
Reasonable assistance may include obtaining or attempting to obtain aid from law enforcement or
medical personnel. A person who violates this subdivision is guilty of a petty misdemeanor.
Subd. 2. General immunity from liability. (a) A person who, without compensation or the
expectation of compensation, renders emergency care, advice, or assistance at the scene of an
emergency or during transit to a location where professional medical care can be rendered, is
not liable for any civil damages as a result of acts or omissions by that person in rendering the
emergency care, advice, or assistance, unless the person acts in a willful and wanton or reckless
manner in providing the care, advice, or assistance. This subdivision does not apply to a person
rendering emergency care, advice, or assistance during the course of regular employment, and
receiving compensation or expecting to receive compensation for rendering the care, advice, or
assistance.
(b) For the purposes of this section, the scene of an emergency is an area outside the confines
of a hospital or other institution that has hospital facilities, or an office of a person licensed to
practice one or more of the healing arts under chapter 147, 147A, 148, 150A, or 153. The scene of
an emergency includes areas threatened by or exposed to spillage, seepage, fire, explosion, or
other release of hazardous materials, and includes ski areas and trails.
(c) For the purposes of this section, "person" includes a public or private nonprofit volunteer
firefighter, volunteer police officer, volunteer ambulance attendant, volunteer first provider of
emergency medical services, volunteer ski patroller, and any partnership, corporation, association,
or other entity.
(d) For the purposes of this section, "compensation" does not include payments,
reimbursement for expenses, or pension benefits paid to members of volunteer organizations.
(e) For purposes of this section, "emergency care" includes providing emergency medical
care by using or providing an automatic external defibrillator, unless the person on whom the
device is to be used objects; or unless the person is rendering this care during the course of regular
employment, the person is receiving or expects to receive compensation for rendering this care,
and the usual and regular duties of the person include the provision of emergency medical care.
"Automatic external defibrillator" means a medical device heart monitor and defibrillator that:1) has received approval of its premarket notification, filed pursuant to United States Code,
title 21, section 360(k), from the United States Food and Drug Administration;
(2) is capable of recognizing the presence or absence of ventricular fibrillation or rapid
ventricular tachycardia, and is capable of determining, without intervention by an operator,
whether defibrillation should be performed; and
(3) upon determining that defibrillation should be performed, automatically charges and
requests delivery of an electrical impulse to an individual's heart

https://www.revisor.leg.state.mn.us/...A.01&year=2006

Pretty clearly immunizes volunteer responders from liability related to actions taken in relationship to an emergency. I would like to see the laws from other states. This has the flavor of model legislation.

[megananne7]

I was taught not to put sugar in OJ

[britney_RN]

Originally Posted by Noryn

That first line should quote "Are you reading from the link you provided." My concern is that there are some who really do think acting as a good samaritan provides immunity to a lawsuit which it does not.

YES! I READ THE LINK. DID YOU???
In my state we have a good samartin law. And in the link, I read of a first aid person that someone tried to sue, but this first aid person prevailed in a court of law !

[qpmz]

Does it seem odd that these nurses gave oj to a person in a coma? I was taught to use cake frosting under the tongue, or being Walgreens shouldn't they have gone to the pharmacy for glucose? I would think the time involved would be the same to grab oj and sugar or ask the pharmacist for glucose, which he should have on hand.

[mercyteapot]

Originally Posted by qpmz

Does it seem odd that these nurses gave oj to a person in a coma? I was taught to use cake frosting under the tongue, or being Walgreens shouldn't they have gone to the pharmacy for glucose? I would think the time involved would be the same to grab oj and sugar or ask the pharmacist for glucose, which he should have on hand.

I'm envisioning one of those coolers that many stores have at the register to encourage impulse buying from their customers. It could be that Walgreens had one of those and they grabbed the OJ, rather than running to the back of the store, where it seems as if most pharmacies are located. I don't know, of course, just wondering if that's the way it happened.

[rita359]

You don't get oj into a patient actually in diabetic coma. Coma would indicate the patient was non responsive. Buccal sugar from a packet or gulcose jel would work. Maybe the reporter was using "coma" loosely just describing a low blood sugar and the woman was actually still responsive though her blood sugar was low. I've seen people with blood sugars in the 30s and lower who were still able to drink juice and seen some like that who were just out of it.

[qpmz]

they grabbed a glucometer which would have had to be gotten from the pharmacy usually under lock and key

[Angie O'Plasty, RN]

Originally Posted by qpmz

they grabbed a glucometer which would have had to be gotten from the pharmacy usually under lock and key

Actually, that brings to mind a really good question -- where was the pharmacist during this whole thing? Maybe it just goes to show how fast it happened and how quickly the responders acted?

It's easy to second-guess the actions of the heroes who saved the lady, but all I can think is that they were closer to the OJ and the sugar than the cake icing gel or the glucose tabs and the nurse was thinking in terms of the fastest thing that will work, as the patient was going bye-bye.

(Our Walgreens has the glucometers out in the open right across from the Pharmacy counter.)

[mercyteapot]

Do we know what time of day this happened? Maybe it was in a store where the glucometers were out in the open and before the pharmacy opened? I know that here, some Walgreens are open 24 hours, but the pharmacy is only opened part of that time.