By Pat Kossan
The Arizona Republic
Oct. 2, 1998

Linda Babb, a registered nurse indicted on manslaughter and child abuse charges Thursday, is still free to work in nursing, state Board of Nursing investigator Jane Werth said.

Babb is being investigated by the Nursing Board, but Werth said she would not confirm whether that investigation stems from her role in the death of Nicholaus Contreraz, 16, at Arizona Boys Ranch on March 2.

The regulatory agency will complete its own inquiry, said Werth, who didn't know when that investigation would be complete. Until the board makes a decision, Babb's license is valid.

Nursing Board officials cannot recall an Arizona nurse being charged with manslaughter of a patient within at least the past five years, Werth said.

Criminal indictments against nurses usually stem from abuse of patients, drug use or forgery or theft, Werth said.

Last year, 81 nurses had their licenses revoked -- the strongest disciplinary action by the licensing agency -- because of "harm of patients" or repeated complaints.

They were among 603 of Arizona's 80,000 nurses and nursing assistants who were disciplined last year, up from 422 the year before.

"The state has structures in place, and justice will be done," said Lyndall Eddie, executive director of the Arizona Nurses Association, regarding Babb's indictment.

Babb is one of five former Boys Ranch employees facing two felony counts each. The Department of Economic Security has refused to renew the program's operating license.

This is the first time Babb, licensed since 1981, has faced disciplinary action by the Nursing Board, Werth said. But a state investigation of the boy's death indicates it is not the first time she has been questioned about charges of abuse at Boys Ranch.

Many nurses are unwilling to comment on Babb's troubles, saying they need to understand the pressures she was under from her employer.

But one Maricopa Community College District nursing instructor, who asked that her name not be used, said it is a lesson that will be used by many nursing instructors throughout the state.

"You have an obligation to be a patient advocate," she said, but sometimes that means nurses must buck the system, go over the head of a supervisor and choose between their job or compromising patient care.

"The one time you don't champion the patient, it's the kid who gets pneumonia," she said.

Copyright 1998, The Arizona Republic