Enloe slapped again

Enloe Medical Center has received yet another fine for medication errors—the fourth in three years. The hospital, one of 12 in the state slapped with the same fine, will pay $25,000 to the state Department of Public Health, the agency that investigated and administered the penalty.

This fine stems from an incident that occurred more than a year ago, in July 2008, when 83-year-old Francine Shaw (pictured) received 50 times the appropriate dose of Heparin, a blood thinner, following surgery.

“This is a woman who was independent before all this happened,” Shaw’s attorney, Steven Schultz, told the CN&R in July. Now she needs around-the-clock care since the overdose caused her to have a stroke. Her lawsuit against the hospital was settled out of court shortly thereafter.

Enloe CEO Mike Wiltermood told the Enterprise-Record that the hospital has since taken measures to minimize errors in medication delivery.