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Georgette Watson, the 46-year-old principal of Brentano Math and Science Academy in Logan Square, died yesterday while she was having a root canal. According to reports, she was anesthetized, but it's not clear yet if she was under general or local anesthesia. She stopped breathing 40 minutes into the procedure, and despite efforts to revive her, she died. Her autopsy is scheduled for today, but she appears to have had a heart attack.
Watson, who by all accounts was a dedicated and beloved principal, was the at Feldman & Feldman dental practice on Broadway, run by Drs. Lawrence W. Feldman and Joseph D. Feldman. They released a statement today saying,
Words alone cannot measure the grief and sadness we feel on the sudden loss of Georgette Watson. We, too, are overcome with emotion while recalling past visits where we experienced her wonderful ways and charm. We know how much her family, as well as the Brentano School family, meant to her, and her to them. We hope that they can embrace her loving ways, as we will, as they struggle to face the loss of someone who occupied such a big place in their hearts and lives.
Investigators don't know which dentist was treating Ms. Watson, but both dentists are currently practicing under probationary licenses after the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (we dare you to come up with a department name that sounds morehellacious) cited the practice for "substandard dental work and failure to maintain records."
Digging through the honestly fascinating disciplinary reports, we found a bunch of people cited for unlicensed practice of dentistry (gah!) and one Kenneth Lutsch of Machesney Park had his dental license and controlled substance license "temporarily suspended for inhaling nitrous oxide prior to treating patients." And holy crap, you can get licensed in tons of jobs. [Sun-Times, Trib, ABC, CBS]
Image via Injury Board
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Kenneth Lutsch = Orin Scrivello
I can testify that I found that agency to be incompetent, and so did Pam Zekman in a report that she did. I think that they roll dice in determining who they "discipline".
The Illinois Department of Public Health conducts its business somewhat the same way. In the case of nursing homes though, the dice rolls determine which incidents at each nursing home will result in disciplinary action. Its impossible to find a nursing home that has not been found problematic in some area, but they absolutely do not investigate every reported incident. In fact, most of the time its a matter of IDPH employees asking the nursing home employees if they are guilty of any wrongdoing.
Kind of like this:
IDPH: Did this happen? Did you do that?
Nursing Home: No.
IDPH: OK, thank you. Case closed.
I do not think that it would take you long to find a state employee at one of these agencies who complains about how overworked and underpaid they think that they are.
Check out the reports on nursing homes for some scary reading too.
I think I'm going to go back to using the ol' string and a doorknob...
This girl that went to my high school died having a root canal.
Scary stuff.
I will give you the fact that IDPH may be "rolling the dice", but if it wasn't for them, how else would you find out if somebody was disiplined? I realize it's random ... but do you think Chicago Department of Public Health runs it's business the same way?
StephanieSays,
Do you have more information on the high school student that died during a root canal? There is a material that some dentists are "secretly" using that contains both formaldehyde and peanut oil. Both can cause analphylactic shock, which can kill. Wondering if it is related.
Thank you