Utah hospital changes policy after nurse arrest

Officials at the Utah hospital where a nurse was arrested in July for refusing to draw blood from an unconscious patient say such incidents will never occur again, according to The Salt Lake Tribune. As of mid-August, University Hospital in Salt Lake City says police will no longer have contact with nurses, but rather deal with hospital administrators instead. In addition, law enforcement officials will no longer be allowed to enter the emergency room, burn unit, or other patient areas.

Controversy flared last week after the release of police body camera footage of the July 26 arrest of University Hospital nurse Alex Wubbels, who refused a police request to draw blood from a patient citing hospital policy. Salt Lake City police detective Jeff Payne responded by shouting at Wubbels and handcuffing and arresting her on suspicion of obstruction of justice. Wubbels was released after 20 minutes, the Tribune reported.

The video went viral and Payne was placed on leave pending an internal investigation by the police department. Wubbels returned to the burn unit approximately 10 days after the arrest. Hospital officials say work on the new policy began right after the incident took place.