Her departure follows bruising Shore inquest 

Jean Reeder, a nurse involved in the recent Lisa Shore inquest, is voluntarily leaving her position as chief nurse of Toronto's internationally renowned Hospital for Sick Children. 

But Reeder said yesterday she does not know if she would have agreed to give up her job if the inquest, and the resulting backlash against the hospital, had not occurred. 

Lisa died at the hospital on Oct. 22, 1998, less than 12 hours after her parents, Sharon and Bill Shore, brought her to the hospital for relief from a pain in her leg caused by a minor injury. Her condition was not life-threatening. 

The Shores reported Reeder and two nurses responsible for Lisa's care to the Ontario College of Nurses in March, after the inquest jury returned a verdict of homicide, a neutral term meaning the killing of a person by another. 

The hospital had argued that Lisa's death was accidental. 

Hospital spokesperson Cyndy De Giusti said Reeder's five-year contract, which expires in September, will not be renewed.

 ``It was a mutual agreement based on what Dr. Reeder wants to do next and what the hospital feels is needed now for nursing leadership,'' De Giusti told The Star. 

Reeder confirmed in a telephone interview that the agreement not to extend her contract was mutual. 

But asked whether she would be agreeing to give up a job she clearly loves and believes she excels in if the Lisa Shore inquest and its aftermath had not occurred, Reeder responded, ``I don't know'' and refused further discussion of the question. 

The inquest made headlines in February when a member of the coroner's jury charged that the hospital was involved in a ``cover-up'' of Lisa's death, and suggested the hospital had raised ``a smokescreen'' to conceal the truth. 

The Shores' complaint to the nursing college alleges that Reeder failed to report ``substandard and negligent care'' provided to Lisa by nurses Ruth Doerksen and Anagaile Soriano to the college, as required by law. 

It also alleges that Reeder engaged in ``disgraceful, dishonourable and unprofessional'' conduct by allegedly coaching Doerksen from her courtroom seat on how to answer questions during testimony. 

But De Giusti said Reeder's departure is ``absolutely not'' connected with the inquest and its ugly aftermath, which includes a continuing investigation of the hospital by the Toronto police force's homicide squad. 

De Giusti said that Reeder and the hospital had been scheduled to meet six months before the expiration of the chief nurse's five-year contract in September, 2000. 

``That meeting took place (last week) and the decision between the hospital and Dr. Reeder is that the contract will not be extended,'' De Giusti said. 

De Giusti said she believes that Reeder will continue to occupy her position until September, but adds ``she (Reeder) will make that final decision.'' 

Reeder said yesterday she doesn't have any specific plans, but has ``lots of opportunities.'' 

The Sick Kids post was Reeder's first civilian job after a 24-year nursing career in the United States military, where she attained the rank of colonel. She has a doctorate in nursing and specializes in bio-ethics. 

``I think that I provided and will continue to provide strong leadership to Sick Kids,'' Reeder said. ``There have been many positive changes in the culture and practice of nursing.'' 

Reeder acknowledged that her nursing colleagues are reacting in ``many different ways. 

``There are many angry and sad nurses,'' she said. ``But many nurses believe in the kind of leadership I have provided and have expressed their concerns about the future of nursing at Sick Kids to me.'' 

The hospital has not yet begun the search for her successor. 

Sharon Shore said yesterday that she believes it is ``appropriate'' that Reeder's contract was not renewed. 

``Dr. Reeder has self-reported to the College of Nurses and asked it to review her actions before and during Lisa's inquest,'' Shore said, referring to Reeder's request for the College of Nursing to review her conduct, filed just hours before Sharon Shore lodged her official complaint. 

``Even though she will be leaving the hospital, we hope she will still appear before the college as she has promised to do.'' 

The college has the power to hold a public hearing and - where warranted - to impose sanctions ranging from censure to permanent removal of a nurse's license to practice in Ontario. 

Several nurses who learned of Reeder's departure through the hospital grapevine said the news was not unexpected. 

``We're not surprised because of all of the negative publicity this hospital has received over the inquest,'' a nurse, who asked to remain anonymous, told the Star.