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Criminal Investigation Launched In Death Of Oakland Patient

OAKLAND (KCBS) – A female patient died early Saturday morning at an Oakland hospital in what officials are calling a "medical error" by a replacement nurse hired during a labor dispute.

The nurse allegedly gave the patient a dose of a non-prescribed medication at Alta Bates Summit Medical Center. She died early Saturday morning.

KCBS' Bob Melrose Reports:

In a memo to staff this weekend, hospital CEO David Bradley admitted that a medical error was responsible for the death of the patient. The nurse was brought in from out-of-state as a fill-in, this after a one day strike at 34 hospitals in Northern and Central California hospitals by the California Nurses Association.

Martha Kuhl with the CNA said authorities had already been called ahead of time because the organization was concerned about the quality of replacement nurses.

"To work in some areas of the hospital, you need additional training, not just your licensure," Kuhl said. "We were very worried when we started to hear those kinds of things so we contacted the appropriate authorities."

The Oakland Police Department and Alameda County District Attorney's Office are investigating the incident as is the state Department of Public Health.

Alta Bates Medical Center said all of its nurses are qualified and certified to do the job.

(Copyright 2011 by CBS San Francisco. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

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