Pennsylvania hospital nurse stole and used narcotics, contributing to 2 patient deaths, lawsuit alleges

Two former emergency room nurses allege dangerous misconduct inside Heritage Valley Sewickley's emergency department and accuse hospital leaders of failing to act.

These allegations are now public after a federal whistleblower lawsuit was unsealed.

The whistleblowers claim an emergency room nurse stole narcotics intended for patients, injected them in an emergency room bathroom, then treated patients while impaired, which in turn, possibly contributed to two patient deaths.

The 78-page federal whistleblower lawsuit was filed by former Heritage Valley Sewickley emergency room nurses Samantha Gallo and Jennifer Duckett.

The complaint names their former coworker, emergency room nurse Nolan Chismire, and alleges misconduct inside the emergency department that went on for years. The complaint alleges that the conduct contributed to two patient deaths linked to inadequate care.

In one case, the lawsuit alleges one woman arrived at the emergency department suffering a non-life-threatening condition but waited hours before receiving attention. The complaint claims she later died after what the lawsuit describes as delayed care and a medication error made by Chismire.

The lawsuit also alleges a second patient experiencing alcohol withdrawal was denied adequate care by Chismire, later fell in the hospital parking lot, suffered a serious brain bleed, and ultimately died.

Those allegations have not been proven in court.

In a statement released on Tuesday, attorneys with the law firm Saul Ewing, who represent the whistleblowers, said, "We continue to investigate the allegations in the litigation and welcome contact from individuals with knowledge of potential HVHS misconduct or who may have been injured by the actions in the HVHS-Sewickley emergency department."

Heritage Valley has denied wrongdoing in court filings. The lawsuit remains pending in federal court.