Fired Nurse Wins $85,0000 Award Against Hospital
A former pediatric nurse at Childrens Hospital of Orange County, who was fired after allegedly refusing to give emergency care to a premature baby who later died, has been awarded $85,000 by a Superior Court jury.
After a 4 1/2-week trial and a day of deliberating, the jury ruled Wednesday that Joanne Parker, 30, had been wrongfully fired.
Parker was dismissed in November, 1982, after hospital officials alleged that she and another nurse failed to resuscitate critically ill Hung Duc Nguyen, 9 1/2 months. The baby was born prematurely on Jan. 24, 1982, and died Nov. 8, 1982.
“They (hospital administrators) never accused her of contributing to the baby’s death,” said Carrie MacMillin, Parker’s attorney. “She had never even been involved with his care before or after that one day in November when she was called in to assist another nurse when the baby’s heart rate dropped.”
Parker sued the hospital, nursing supervisor Madonna McGlone, and nurses Paula Henry and Cathy Judd in 1983.
Doug Wood, a hospital spokesman, refused to comment on the suit.
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