Former nurse charged in death of patient
39-year-old mother of two allegedly taken off life support
In an “unprecedented” move, Midland police have charged a former nurse at Georgian Bay General Hospital with manslaughter for allegedly cutting off a patient’s life support without authorization.
Joanna Flynn, 50, is also charged with criminal negligence causing death, and was arrested on Thursday, Midland police announced.
The patient, Deanna Leblanc, was 39. Police declined to name her, but Leblanc’s widower, Michael Leblanc, con- firmed her identity to the Star. She died at the hospital on March 2, 2014.
Leblanc’s death leaves a bereaved husband looking after two sons, ages 15 and 18. More than a year later, Michael Leblanc is still reeling.
“It just wasn’t right,” he said. “Thirtynine years old and nothing wrong with her but a bum knee.”
He says that on March 1 last year, his wife was recovering at home from a minor knee operation. Early the next morning, she woke up with a sense that she was dying.
By about 8:30 that night, she was dead, Leblanc said.
Midland Police Service began their investigation on March 6, 2014. They announced Flynn’s arrest Thursday in a terse statement.
“To preserve the integrity of this investigation and the pending case before the court, no further information will be released,” said Insp. Ron Wheeldon in a news release.
A representative from Georgian Bay General Hospital declined to comment Thursday, and declined to give her name.
“As advised by our legal counsel the hospital will not be making any further statements about this matter,” said Karen McGrath, the hospital’s president & CEO, in a release provided to CTV.
“A criminal charge involving someone at our hospital is a highly distressing occurrence and will create a good deal of anxiety for our community,” she added.
McGrath’s statement refers to Flynn — who lives in Wyevale, a small town near Midland — as a “former employee” of the hospital.
The Star was unable to reach Flynn on Thursday. She appeared in court on Thursday and was released on bail. Her next court appearance is on May 28.
Mark Handelman, who has argued more end-of-life cases than any lawyer in Canada, said he has never seen a Canadian health-care practitioner criminally charged for ending life support.
Handelman stressed that much about the case remains unknown.
“The charge, nonetheless, is unprecedented in Canada, as far as I know,” he said. “I’m not sure it’s ever happened in the United States either, by the way.”
Leblanc’s case seems to be unusual in several ways. Her widower says she spent less than 24 hours in hospital, for example.
And as Handelman noted, it is typically a doctor, not a nurse, who ends life support, as Flynn is alleged to have done.
“If anything, it may bring home to health practitioners the importance of getting proper consent to terminate treatment,” Handelman said.
Michael Leblanc said he didn’t know how to feel on hearing that charges had been laid.
“I want it to be over,” he said. “It’s just me and my two boys without her, and it’s a s----y situation, to tell you the truth.”
Thirty-six hours before being sent to Georgian Bay General, Deanne Leblanc was in Newmarket for a knee scope, her widower said.
Deanna Leblanc’s widower, Michael, still reeling from the death, says she spent less than 24 hours in hospital
“It took about half an hour.” At 3 a.m. on March 2, back home in Midland, “all hell broke loose.” Deanne, a sales clerk at a local furniture store, woke up in a panic.
“She told me she was dying and to help her, and call 911,” Michael said.
“Then she ended up in the hospital, and she ended up on life support, and . . .”
Leblanc was careful not to speak in detail about what happened that day, fearing it could affect the case.
“I can’t say anything about that,” he replied, when asked if he authorized the removal of his wife’s life support.
But there was a quiet sorrow in his voice as he discussed the events that led to his wife’s sudden death.
“This should never have happened,” he said.