Former nurse linked to multiple nursing home deaths

In May, Heather Pressdee was charged with the murder and attempted murder of three patients who were under her care at a skilled nursing facility in late 2022. Of the three patients, two died after receiving overdoses of insulin, and one survived after emergency hospitalization. Her nursing license was suspended in July amid the investigation.

Last week, Pressdee received several additional charges after she admitted to trying to harm 19 other patients by administering excessive amounts of insulin, including to patients who were not diabetic. The new charges include two additional counts of first-degree murder, 17 counts of attempted murder, and 19 counts of neglect of a care-dependent person.

According to prosecutors, Pressdee was charged with first-degree murder in the cases "where physical evidence is available to support the cause of death" and attempted murder in cases where the victims either survived or the cause of death could not be determined.

In total, Pressdee has been charged with mistreating 22 patients, who ranged in age from 43 to 104, since 2020. Of these patients, 17 died while under Pressdee's care. The alleged mistreatment occurred at five different healthcare facilities across the state of Pennsylvania.

In the criminal complaint, investigators said that Pressdee "stated that she felt bad for [the patients'] quality of life, and she had hoped that they would just slip into a coma and pass away."

"The allegations against Ms. Pressdee are disturbing," said Pennsylvania Attorney General Michelle Henry (D). "It is hard to comprehend how a nurse, trusted to care for her patients, could choose to deliberately and systematically harm them. The damage done to the victims and their loved ones cannot be overstated."

"Every person in a medical or care facility should feel safe and cared for, and my office will work tirelessly to hold the defendant accountable for her crimes and protect care-dependent Pennsylvanians from future harm," she added.

A pattern of harmful behavior

According to NBC News, Pressdee had a "pattern" of being investigated for "abusive behavior towards patients and/or staff" at several of her previous jobs, which ultimately led to her either resigning or being terminated. Before being charged in May, Pressdee had worked at 11 local nursing facilities since 2018.

Several of Pressdee's former co-workers also told investigators she had been "reprimanded for making up her own insulin doses" and that there were suspicions that she had "intentionally [harmed] patients." At one of the facilities, Pressdee was suspended following complaints of patient harm, but an internal investigation ultimately concluded that there was "no identifiable evidence uncovered to support the concerns of Pressdee's coworkers."

A hospital physician also notified the Pennsylvania Department of Health about his concerns that Pressdee was harming patients in 2022, but no action was taken.

According to Zachary Shamberg, president and CEO of the Pennsylvania Health Care Association (PHCA), there should have been "fit-for-duty evaluations" and other screenings before Pressdee was hired at the different facilities she worked at since she held a state license as an RN.

"What's alarming is that red flags from previous employers, about intentions or behaviors, weren't able to be shared," Shamberg said.

Although Pressdee's licenses and capabilities could be evaluated, there was no way to make her conduct or other behaviors known. "That is a key ingredient," Shamberg said. "A person like this should not be able to jump from facility to facility if there is a concern about their intentions."

Last year, PHCA worked to advance legislation that would provide more oversight and accountability in healthcare hiring. Although it became law last December, it has not yet been implemented. "We need to fix this loophole," Shamberg said. "It needs to be prioritized." (PA Office of the Attorney General press release, 5/25; Haworth, ABC News, 11/3; Firth, MedPage Today, 11/6; Bardolf, New York Post, 11/4; Lenthang, NBC News, 11/3; Panizzi, TribLIVE, 11/4; Rosenberg, Fox News, 11/3; Alvarado, CNN, 11/3; Damp/Todd, CBS News, 11/2)

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