CPR Refusal Case Under Investigation in Bakersfield

Police are looking into whether any criminal actions were involved in the handling of a health emergency at an independent living facility where a woman died after a nurse refused to perform CPR.

A spokesperson from Glenwood Gardens, a large gated community in Bakersfield, defended the nurse, claiming she followed the facility’s policies when the 87-year-old woman collapsed in the dining room.

The 911 call was initially handled by a police dispatcher who was told the woman had a heart issue and was barely breathing. The call was quickly transferred to the Fire Department, where a dispatcher asked a nurse at the facility to perform CPR on the woman.

The nurse refused, citing a policy that prevented her from performing CPR, according to an audio recording of the call.

Bakersfield Police spokeswoman Michaela Beard said the department is investigating the incident.

The original call was made by an unidentified woman on February 26, requesting paramedics to assist the woman. Later, a woman who identified herself as a nurse spoke with dispatcher Tracey Halvorson and explained that she wasn’t allowed to perform CPR.

Halvorson urged the nurse to start CPR, saying, “I understand if your boss is telling you not to do it, but as a human being, is there anyone here who would be willing to help this lady and not let her die?”

The nurse responded, “Not at this time.”

Throughout the 7-minute, 16-second call, Halvorson assured the nurse that the facility couldn’t be sued if something went wrong during CPR.

Halvorson is an experienced dispatcher who has worked with the county center for over a decade, according to Kern County Fire Department Deputy Chief Michael Miller.

Firefighters and ambulance staff arrived at the facility seven minutes after the call, Miller said. However, the identity of the person who made the initial call remains unknown.

The woman had no pulse and wasn’t breathing when first assessed, according to Fire Department spokesman Anthony Galagaza. Crews started CPR and transported her to the hospital, where she was later declared dead.