Georgia Medical Center is accused of “playing God” by fabricating TWO HUNDRED do-not-resuscitate orders for patients who were unable to sign them

By Martha Williams for Dailymail.Com

17:23 December 01, 2023, updated 17:23 December 01, 2023

  • Roselane Health and Rehabilitation is said to have invented 194 DNRs
  • The Georgia health facility photocopied DNRs with signatures before required assessments took place
  • Leona Milne's family filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the center for failing to resuscitate her when she had difficulty breathing due to her “DNR.”

A Georgia rehab facility is under investigation after 194 do-not-resuscitate orders were issued to patients who were unable to sign them, according to InvestigateTV.

“Do Not Resuscitate” orders – or DNRs – are medical orders written by doctors and assigned to patients who have chosen not to receive resuscitation (CPR) if death is imminent.

Medical staff at Roselane Health and Rehabilitation in Marietta, Georgia, were accused of “playing God” after issuing DNRs to patients without their consent.

Leona Milne died in 2018 at the age of 73 while being treated as a temporary patient at the rehabilitation center for an infected toe.

The 73-year-old was born with an intellectual disability and, as an adult, had the cognitive abilities of a nine or ten year old.

Leona Milne died in 2018 at the age of 73 while being treated as a temporary patient at the rehabilitation center for an infected toe. The 73-year-old was born with an intellectual disability and, as an adult, had the cognitive abilities of a nine or ten year old. Milne's brother, Chuck Milne, said he received a call from a nurse at the facility telling him his sister was having trouble breathing – but when he showed up at the center, Leona was dead

Her brother described her as “very sociable, very outgoing” – he said she “loved attention”.

Milne's brother, Chuck Milne, said he received a call from the facility's nurse telling him his sister was having trouble breathing – but when he showed up at the center, Leona was dead.

Milne had begged nurses to take his sister to the hospital when she had trouble breathing — but they refused because, according to workers, she had signed a DNR.

“I told the nurse that she was mentally unfit to sign,” Milne said.

He told the worker, “You don’t understand, she’s not fit to sign a DNR.”

Leona's family filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Roselane's former medical director, Dr. Sara Sambandham, a – the doctor who was ultimately responsible for Leona's treatment during her time at the facility.

When the case was first filed, the wrongful death charge related to Leona's inability to sign a DNR. But as the lawsuit developed, investigators discovered a much deeper problem.

Leona's family filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Roselane's former medical director, Dr. Sara Sambandham, who was the doctor ultimately responsible for Leona's treatment during her time at the facility. Patients were asked to sign their DNRs without medical evaluation. In Leona's case, her form was signed by a doctor who had not worked at the facility at any time during her stay as a 73-year-old. Sambandham, who claims she knew nothing about it and denied wrongdoing.

A social worker at the Georgia facility admitted that proper and legal procedures for issuing a DNR were not followed at Roselane.

Georgia medical laws require two doctors to examine a patient before issuing and then signing a DNR order for a mentally incapacitated person.

Before the DNR is officially approved, it must be submitted to an ethics committee.

The social worker revealed that these practices were not followed by doctors at Roselane.

Eventually, it was discovered that the rehab center staff photocopied pre-signed advance directives before even examining the patient.

“Well, the process at the time was that we had pre-signed DNR forms like this. “They were already pre-signed,” the social worker said in the videotaped statement. “I had them in my notebook. “We had them when we visited our residents.”

Patients were asked to sign their DNRs without medical evaluation.

In Leona's case, her form was signed by a doctor who had not worked at the facility at any time during her stay as a 73-year-old.

“She was gone seven months before the DNR even executed in our case,” said the family’s attorney, Mike Prieto.

Prieto's law firm discovered nearly 200 additional DNR orders that had been photocopied – all under the supervision of Sambandham, who claims she knew nothing about them and denied wrongdoing.

Milne settled a civil lawsuit with SavaSeniorCare – the owner of the Roselane facility – for an undisclosed amount of money.

Roselane was not the only facility with a record of ordering DNRs for mentally impaired patients who were incapable of consent.

Grace Schara died at age 19 after contracting COVID-29 and was admitted to St. Elizabeth Hospital in Appleton, Wisconsin.

Grace Schara died at age 19 after contracting COVID-29 and was admitted to St. Elizabeth Hospital in Appleton, Wisconsin. The patient had Down syndrome – but her father, Scott Schara, said her disability never slowed her down. Medical staff asked Grace's family if she should be resuscitated if things went south – but a DNR was never mentioned. When Grace went downhill on October 13, 2021, hospital staff did not allow the family to enter the room. The 19-year-old was there – and shouted at her: “She is DNR”

The patient had Down syndrome – but her father, Scott Schara, said her disability never slowed her down.

Medical staff asked Grace's family if she wanted resuscitation if things went south – but a DNR was never mentioned.

When asked if the family would ever request a DNR order, Schara replied, “Absolutely not.” Why would we ever ask? That makes no sense. We expected our daughter to get out of there. We don’t expect her to die.”

As Grace's health deteriorated on October 13, 2021, the family said hospital staff did not allow them to enter the room – and yelled at them: “She's DNR.”

The family members pleaded: “She is not DNR, except our daughter” – but the nurses refused.

But the hospital allegedly did not violate the law because of the situation.

“Wisconsin law does not apply to physicians working in hospital and non-emergency settings,” an agency spokesperson told InvestigateTV.

A written DNR order is not essential if the doctor works outside of an emergency room or non-hospital emergency facility – such as St. Elizabeth Hospital.

This makes no sense to Grace's father, who said, “How can anyone be immune from liability for killing someone?”

Grace's family claimed she did not request a DNR because she did not expect her daughter to die during her stay at the medical facility, but rather that she would return home.

The hospital reportedly received clear consent from the family to undergo DNR on the patient and said it had three interviews with family members who confirmed this.

DailyMail.com reached out to both healthcare organizations for comment on the lawsuits.