Vicki Galle and Anne Mitchell bravely stood their ground. While they enjoyed the support of professional nursing organizations, organized medicine let them down, and, in the process, let all of us down.

A message has been sent to all the nurses who work to make healthcare safer. If you blow the whistle, then you risk losing your careers as did these nurses, and you may go to jail. If you are prosecuted, we will sit on our hands and do nothing.

That is a powerful and deadly message. John Cook was right. People will die.

I applaud the nurses and the nursing organizations. If I am misinformed about the rest of organized medicine, I hope someone will let me know so I can correct my mis-impression.

This is a sad day in America when a few small town bullies with law degrees and badges run roughshod over statutes designed to protect whistleblowers and the public health, over devoted nurses, and scare everyone in the process.

Lee Tilson
Detroit
www.rethinkingpatientsafety.com