Utah Hospital Bars Police From Patient Areas After Nurse Grabbing Incident

The University of Utah Hospital, in Salt Lake City, will no longer allow police in patient-care areas nor to deal directly with nurses. The decision which was announced at a Monday press conference comes after an incident where a police officer grabbed and arrested a nurse who was trying to protect a patient’s rights.

“Law enforcement who come to the hospital for any reason involving patients will be required to check in to the front desk of the hospital,” Chief Nursing Officer Margaret Pearce of the hospital said Monday. “There, a hospital house supervisor will meet the officers to work through each request.”

The incident was captured on the officer’s body camera in July, but was only released last week. The nurse, Alex Wubbels, attempted to block an officer from taking a blood sample from an unconscious patient. A recent Supreme Court decision and hospital policy only allow the officer to take a blood sample if the police have a warrant, have the patient’s consent or the person is under arrest. None of those applied in this case.

After his request was denied, the officer, identified as Jeff Payne, grabbed at Wubbels and forced her against a wall where she was handcuffed and then moved outside. The officer detained her in an unmarked car. The incident happened July 26.

“Our team was advocating for the immediate release of Alex and was ultimately successful in getting her released from the handcuffs and the car,” Crabtree, CEO, University of Utah Hospitals and Clinics said. “Alex was never charged and will not have a record.”

The police have put Payne and another officer on administrative leave, and the incident is under a criminal investigation. Salt Lake’s mayor and university police chief have apologized to Wubbels.

“Our hospital continues to offer our full support to Alex,” said Crabtree. “I think many of you know she is an Olympian and to us she's truly an Olympic-size hero. We extend our appreciation for her dedication and service.”

Wubbels was a two-time Olympic skier.

The hospital’s policies were written and implemented in the days following the incident before the video and altercation were released to the public. Officers coming to the hospital all will now deal with “house supervisors” when entering the hospital.

“I was scared to death," Wubbels said on CNN’s “New Day,” Monday. “I went down into the emergency department to get help, to have someone protect me because I felt unsafe from Officer Payne from the beginning.”

University of Utah Police Chief Dale Brophy admitted that he had not watched the tape until it became public and realized that he did not take the incident seriously enough.

“I was able to see firsthand how poorly this situation was handled. This is not how law enforcement professionals should act,” said Brophy. “[Wubbels] should not have been subjected to arrest for doing her job.”​