A jury awarded a former Harris, N.Y.-based Grover M. Hermann Catskill Regional Medical Center nurse $490,000 in a civil suit after she said the hospital failed to inform her of a fake robbery as part of a training drill, according to the Times Herald-Record.
In April 2012, Alison Mastandrea was working as an emergency room nurse when the hospital conducted a drill simulating a narcotics robbery. Ms. Mastandrea said the hospital never informed her of the drill, leading her to believe the situation was real when another hospital employee entered the emergency room demanding narcotics and claimed to have a gun, according to the article.
According to a lawsuit filed in November 2012, Ms. Mastandrea claimed she suffered a mental breakdown and was diagnosed with post traumatic stress disorder resulting from the drill. She said she was unable to continue working as a nurse and is now receiving disability assistance.
A lawyer on behalf of Ms. Mastandrea said in a statement he expects the case to continue in appellate court. He said he expects the hospital to appeal the jury's verdict, as well as the judge's decision not to dismiss other hospital employees from the lawsuit.
A hospital spokesperson said he could not comment on ongoing litigation, according to the article.