2 paramedics suspended pending disciplinary hearing

Two Ambulance New Brunswick paramedics have been suspended, pending a public disciplinary hearing into their response to a call from a Saint John-area woman whose husband was suffering severe chest pains.

The suspensions of Debbie Lavigne and Victor Lavigne of St. Martins are the result of an investigation by the Paramedic Association of New Brunswick after the death of 52-year-old Greg Garnett.

Garnett's wife, Cathy, believes he was mistreated after she called 911 on April 28, 2017, and she filed a formal complaint with the association in July.

Greg died in hospital in Saint John, five weeks after suffering an aortic dissection at his home in Rowley, a 38-kilometre drive from the city, east toward St. Martins.

Alleges missteps, rudeness

In Cathy Garnett's complaint to the paramedic association, she allegeda series of missteps, incorrect assessments and rude behaviour by the paramedics.

Garnettsaid the paramedics were convinced her husband was only experiencing sciatica, or back pain, and yelled at him to get up off the floor and walk to the stretcher. One paramedickicked Greg in the foot,Garnettsaid.

The complaints committee of the paramedics association met about the caseat the end of August and decided there should be a disciplinary hearing.

DebbieLavigne,speaking on behalf of herself and VictorLavigne, said they couldn't commenton the advice of their lawyer.

Hearing will be public

Chris Hood, executive director and registrar of the association, said suspension of aparamedic dependson the nature of the alleged offence and the best interest of protecting the public. The complaint is then movedto a disciplinary hearing.

A date has yet to be set for the disciplinary hearing, a public, quasi-judicial procedure that will hear evidence and testimony from both sides.

In aletter from the complaints committee, Garnett was told her complaint"contains allegations, evidence and supporting documents indicating serious questions respecting the professional conduct and competence of the member."

The letter went on to explain the suspensions are "necessary to protect the public pending the conduct and completion of the proceedings before the discipline committee."

Garnettwas pleased the case will go before the discipline committee but said gathering all the evidence and documentation has forced her to relive the tragedy.

"I really thought this stuff would make me feel really good, but I think the more that they agree that something bad happened, and yes, they failed us, then I just think, 'Oh my god, if they had [done] their job, if they had [done] it right, he'd still be here today.'"

The suspension of paramedics in New Brunswick has been rare inthe nine years since the associationwas founded to enforce the Paramedic Act. About 1,200 paramedics are registered.

"The number of times we've suspended people's licences you could count on both hands," Hood said. "We should be the course of last hope. Most times employers will take the extraordinary steps to terminate someone's job."

The employer, Ambulance New Brunswick, will not comment on the Garnettcase or the two suspensions, saying in an email to CBC News that it doesn't discuss human resources issues.

Nor will it say whether, in a province where ambulance workers are in demand, it has been able to replace the employees suspended in the St. Martins area. The St. Martins jurisdiction is normally staffed by eight full-time and two part-time employees.

Ambulance New Brunswick is run by the private firm MedavieHealth Services, which last year won renewal of its contract with the province for another 10 years.

The circumstances

Cathy Garnett is still upset by events leading up to her husband's death.

It took about 2 hours after the 911 call before the ambulance reached theSaint John Regional Hospital, a trip Cathy said was made without any obvious urgency. It was a no-lights, no-siren, speed-limit-respecting drive.

When the ambulance got to the hospital at about 5:30 a.m., the paramedics conveyed their sciatica assessment to ER staff, she said.

Around 7:40 a.m., more than five hours after the 911 call, Greg was sent for a CT scan. The radiologist found a complete aortic dissection, a tear inside Greg's aorta.

Greg was immediately admitted to the ICU, where hesuffered other complications, including infection, blood clots and pneumonia, before he could be moved to an intermediate level of care.

He died June 6, 2017, the day after the move, after another aortic dissection.

The disciplinary hearing

Garnettis still sad and angry, feeling she's had to fight to prove the paramedics did something wrong.

She has also filed a complaint with theNurses Association of New Brunswick over treatment her husband received from an ER nurse. Garnett alleged in the August complaint that the nurse told her husband to shut up while he screamed in pain.

The nurses association's complaint committee met Oct. 11 and has told Garnettit needs more information from the hospital before it decides whether the case should move to a disciplinary stage.

Garnett said she was told she'd have an answer by the end of October.