60 pages 2 hours read

Charles Graeber

The Good Nurse: A True Story of Medicine, Madness, and Murder

Nonfiction | Biography | Adult | Published in 2013

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Part 1-2, Chapters 26-31

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapter 26 Summary

On July 8, 2003, Bruce and Steven get on a conference call with the Somerset administrators, trying to push for them to report the overdoses to the police. The men remind the administrators of other cases that revealed nurses were killing patients and then ask questions about the overdose cases. When one of the administrators admits that their endocrinologist thought the source of the drugs was external, Steven reinforces the implications of that finding. He then details how in the other instances in which nurses intentionally overdosed patients, the hospitals hesitated in their responses, leading to more deaths. The administrators ask Poison Control to look over patient charts and provide data about drug percentages, and the men agree, although Steven underscores that further delays will put patients are at risk. He also reasserts his belief that this is an intentional action, not an accident.

After the call, Bruce calls Nancy to comfort her, offering his appreciation for her willingness to speak up. An additional conference call between Steven, Bruce, and the administrators turns increasingly intense as Steven expresses his frustration at the slow-moving hospital. The author notes that Steven notified the New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services about the Somerset deaths and was awaiting a response.