Here is a partial transcript of the 911 call from a senior living facility nurse — identified as Colleen — requesting help for an 87-year-old woman who was barely breathing. In the call, the nurse says she is not allowed to perform to CPR. The 911 dispatcher pleads with her to find someone who doesn’t work for the facility who can do CPR until an ambulance arrives. No CPR was done and the woman later died. The call ends when the ambulance arrived.
Dispatcher: This woman’s not breathing enough. She’s gonna die if we don’t get this started. Do you understand?
Caller: I understand. I am a nurse. But I cannot have our other citizens, who don’t know CPR, do it. We’re in a dining room.
Dispatcher: I will instruct them. Is there anyone there?
Caller: I cannot do that.
Dispatcher: OK, is there anyone there who is willing to help this patient?
Caller: I am, but…
Dispatcher: OK great, then I’ll walk you through it all. EMS takes the liability for this, Colleen. I’m happy to … OK? This is EMS protocol. OK?
Caller: (To someone off the phone) I don’t know where he is. She’s yelling at me to have one of our other residents perform CPR. And I’m not gonna do that, and make that call.
Dispatcher: Colleen, is there anyone that works there that’s willing to do it?
Caller: We can’t do that.
Dispatcher: Are we just gonna let this lady die?
Caller: Well that’s why we’re calling 911.
Dispatcher: We can’t wait. She can’t wait right now. She is stopping breathing. She can’t wait for them to get there.
Caller: She’s taken three breaths.
Dispatcher: It’s not enough. We need to get CPR started.