Letter to the editor: Killer nurse tragedy could have been avoided

After pleading guilty to three counts of first-degree murder and 19 counts of attempted murder, Harrison nurse Heather Pressdee, who admitted to administering insulin to nursing home patients who did not require it, was justifiably sentenced to spend the rest of her life in prison (“ ‘She is evil personified’: Victims’ families face killer nurse Heather Pressdee in court” May 2, TribLive). I have no problem with that. She deserves worse.

But I have several questions. Aren’t nurses in nursing homes assigned specific patients? If they aren’t, why not? If they are, aren’t the drugs they take from the pharmacy or dispensary monitored and checked to see if they apply to the patients they are in charge of? If these drugs are monitored, why wasn’t this stopped?

I believe these needless deaths could have been prevented. The nurse could have been suspended and had her license revoked so that she could never work in that capacity again and lives could have been saved. What a tragedy!

George Silowash

Penn Township, Westmoreland County