The former administrator for Meadow Park Long Term Care said he didn’t have much interaction with Elizabeth Wettlaufer during the time she worked there.
Robert Vanderheyden was in the hot seat on Friday morning during the public inquiry looking into how the former nurse’s crimes went undetected.
In June of last year, Wettlaufer pleaded guilty to eight counts of first-degree murder, four counts of attempted murder and two counts of aggravated assault on patients in her care at three Ontario long-term care facilities and a private home.
“I don’t really recall Ms. Wettlaufer,” testified Vanderheyden, adding that the former nurse only came to his attention when she quit, when narcotics went missing, and when he learned Wettlaufer had overdosed.
Vanderheyden said he was also unaware of any issues regarding Wettlaufer until he spoke with Meadow Park’s co-director of care, Heather Nicholas.
“I remember her explaining the overdose and that she had resigned,” said Vanderheyden. “I was talking to Heather about, ‘If there was a substance abuse problem, we would need to at least support her.'”
Once they learned of Wettlaufer’s overdose, Vanderheyden said that he and Nicholas strongly suspected Wettlaufer had stolen narcotics that went missing on the convicted serial killer’s last day of work.
However, Vanderheyden said an internal and police investigation did not find Wettlaufer guilty of doing so.
The former administrator was also asked if he felt obligated under mandatory reporting to forward his concerns to the College of Nurses of Ontario.
“At the time, we had no issues with performance, we had no concerns… to my knowledge under mandatory reporting, that was not something we’d have to report.”
Vanderheyden added he did not recall ever having a conversation with Nicholas about the possibility of filing a report.
Later on Friday, the inquiry heard from from doctors and pharmacists who worked with nursing homes in the region.
Dr. John McDonald from Telfer Place in Paris, Ontario, was called into the region after an issue with a patient. McDonald testified that he didn’t feel confident about Elizabeth Wettlaufer’s ability to handle basic nursing duties.
He added that his interaction with Wettlaufer was unique in his 42 years as a doctor, and that he came away feeling uneasy.