VA nurse allegedly left a patient without oxygen, joking that death paperwork is easier than fall paperwork

Registered nurse, Beth Holtz, who worked at the Tomah Veterans Affairs Medical Center, is being charged with one count of intentionally abusing a patient after she allegedly removed the oxygen of a 75-year-old patient in the hospice ward, despite the patient having been prescribed continuous oxygen.

Holtz then allegedly told a nursing aide when asked about the situation not to give the patient oxygen, as she claims she believed the patient was dying and helping him find peace was the right course of action instead of letting him continue struggling. According to the criminal complaint, another nurse found the patient and reconnected the oxygen, which led to immediate improvement in his condition as his color returned and he breathed easier.

The patient survived this period without oxygen, but he would pass away six days later. It hasn’t been stated if his death was related to this period without oxygen, unlike a different case of alleged healthcare mistreatment that inspired one woman involved to become a nurse.

Holtz allegedly joked about removing the patient’s oxygen

To make the situation worse, the complaint claims that Holtz admitted to making a remark about death paperwork being easier to fill out than fall paperwork regarding the patient’s situation. She apparently added that she was just being goofy and made the comment due to the amount of paperwork she had to fill out as her shift was close to ending. In another case, a gynecologist also made an unnecessary comment, but this time directly to the patient.

Holtz apparently told police that she should’ve known better than to remove the patient’s oxygen, although she also allegedly claimed that people die with or without oxygen attached, despite this particular patient having lived for another six days following the ordeal.

The complaint claims that Holtz agreed to take a polygraph test, during which she admitted that she wanted the patient to be at peace sooner, but that this was the first time she made this kind of decision and that it was a one-time mistake.

After it all, Holtz could still be working at another hospice facility

Police believe that Holtz might be working at another hospice facility in Wisconsin, but they believe that this facility is in Waukesha County instead of Monroe County, the latter of which is where Tomah is located. Waukesha is a two-hour drive from Monroe, depending on where in each county you’re traveling to and from.

The state of Wisconsin has requested that a warrant for Holtz’s arrest be issued, but there hasn’t yet been an update regarding the warrant or a potential arrest beyond the request. Holtz could face up to 15 years in prison if she’s convicted of the intentional abuse of a patient charge.

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