Posted on September 13, 2011 in Our Blog,Public Safety

Seven weeks ago a Bend teenager riding a bicycle was killed when he was struck by a vehicle driven by Erik Mackenzie Conn. Conn claims he had been glancing at the speedometer and thus did not see the rider, who was riding a bicycle with his friend. Conn’s story may not hold up, as he… read more

Posted on September 7, 2011 in Our Blog,Public Safety

We’re always hearing about salmonella outbreaks and the like and the investigations to narrow down the culprit(s), but this is something new: Del Monte Fresh Produce plans to sue William Keene, Oregon Public Health’s senior epidemiologist, for, well, dissing its canteloupes. The company filed an ethics complaint and tort claim alleging Keene made misleading statements… read more

Posted on August 30, 2011 in Our Blog,Public Safety

This is practically unbelievable–the head of the Portland Police Bureau’s traffic division, while off-duty, was involved in a road-rage incident in Idaho in which he allegedly pointed a gun at another driver. He was stopped by Washington State troopers but was not arrested. The incident is under investigation by the Idaho State Police. In the… read more

Posted on August 4, 2011 in Our Blog,Patient Care

Anesthesiologist Frederick George Field was arrested late July on suspicion of sexually abusing two female patients who were under his care at the Mid-Columbia Medical Center in The Dalles. The incidents took place in 2007 and 2011 and allegedly involved touching in the genital area. The women were under anesthesia during the incidents and were… read more

Posted on July 15, 2011 in Our Blog

It is difficult to forget the horrible Metrolink commuter train crash that took place in southern California in 2008. The crash was allegedly caused by the train’s engineer, who neglected to stop at a stop sign because he was texting and thus distracted. Just this week a judge made his final decisions of how the… read more

Posted on July 11, 2011 in Our Blog

This story hit a little close to my follicles. Sandra Rawline of Texas filed an age discrimination and retaliation lawsuit against her former employer, Capital Title of Texas, claiming she was fired because she refused to dye her gray hair. Rawline, who is 52, went gray in her 20s, so the gray hair was nothing… read more

Posted on July 6, 2011 in Our Blog,Patient Care,Patient Death

The “July effect” is not sunburn or dehydration but instead refers to the increase in fatalities and medical mishaps at teaching hospitals.Why? Well, a batch of new and inexperienced residents hits teaching hospitals every July. According to a study by the Journal of General Internal Medicine, teaching hospitals can see a 10 percent increase in… read more

Posted on June 22, 2011 in Our Blog,Patient Care

Did you know there is a statewide patient safety program that requires hospitals to notify in writing any patient affected by a serious medical error? Well, neither do a lot of the hospitals! The Oregonian just reported that this “required” written notification took place less than half the time. In fact, of the 80 cases… read more

Posted on June 17, 2011 in Our Blog,Public Safety

Back in May of last year we posted about the class-action complaint against Procter & Gamble and its diapers featuring DryMax technology. Many parents grew concerned that diapers featuring DryMax were causing severe skin irritations, including rashes and burns. Pampers is one of the brands that used DryMax. Well, Procter & Gamble just announced it… read more

Posted on June 7, 2011 in Our Blog,Public Safety

We’ve posted before about the dangers of various varieties of sprouts. They seem to be magnets for E. coli. Now it seems that sprouts are behind the E. coli outbreak in Europe that has thus far killed about 22 people and sickened more than 2,200. Reports indicate that vegetable sprouts from a German organic farm… read more