[Tina Vaillancourt]

1. Cheri Landry and Lori Budo obviously had a difficult time dealing with the scrutiny they received and it was difficult for both of them to be out of work because they were unable to return to work and hit the lecture circuit like e Dr. Pou did. However, the outpouring of emotional and financial support they received from the community was uplifting to them. I thought that the way they were forced to testify before the grand jury was very unfair. Even though they were given immunity for their actions they were basically forced to testify against Dr. Pou, which was against their wishes. Karen Wynn seemed to be having an even more difficult time in the aftermath of the disaster. The situation soured her on the nursing profession altogether even though she was steadfast in her belief that she had done nothing wrong. I think the power of her conviction is why she was conspicuously not called as a witness before the grand jury.

2. Death in the United States is an interesting topic. In many respects it is almost taboo to discuss. I know when my father was dying of cancer my mother would never let anyone discuss it in front of him even though he was fully aware of his situation. I am not really sure why we Americans seem so unprepared for death. As a religious-based society we have many different ways of celebrating and memorializing someone’s death but they all seem to take place after-the-fact. It seems like other societies view death as less of an evil or scary thing and they are more open to the notion of helping people to die pain-free and with dignity.

3. I think ultimately justice was done by the grand jury. They had the opportunity to hear from a variety of witnesses, all of whom had their own perspective on what had taken place. Dr. Pou’s actions were subjected to investigation and public scrutiny but in the end the decision not to seek criminal charges was a recognition of the extreme circumstances she was forced to act under. Obviously with the benefit of hindsight it is easy to say they should have done this or they should have done that but I believe the grand jury came to the right conclusion when they chose not to indict Dr. Pou and that is why I believe justice was done. I also think it sent a strong message to all hospital personnel by recognizing they did the best they could under the circumstances they were presented with, and that they wouldn’t be punished for making decisions no one should have to make.

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