Vaught supporters at rally feel relief after her sentencing

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WSMV) - A sense of relief and a feeling of gratitude for hundreds who rallied outside the historic courthouse after the judge’s decision in RaDonda Vaught’s sentencing.

The crowd in support of RaDonda Vaught, many of them nurses erupted in cheers. Many cried and hugged each other after the judge did not sentence Vaught to prison.

“Absolutely on cloud 9 so relieved,” said Jennifer Moore, a Nurse for 4 Years who drove 10 hours from Oklahoma City to Nashville for the rally in support of the former Vanderbilt nurse.

It was an ending supporters hoped for. Instead of Prison time, Vaught was sentenced to three years of supervised probation.

“I feel for the first time in a long time, the collective voices were heard and the judge showed compassion and saw as human instead of superhuman. And didn’t hold us to the same impossible standards I feel the worlds been trying to hold us to for several years and that’s perfection,” said Jennifer Moore.

Supporters from far and near started rallying at about 7am on Friday.

Some who spoke who before the start of the Rally said the Vaught case is impacting the nursing field.

“Travel nurses aren’t coming to this particular hospitals because of this event. So it’s affecting nurses that are already out there in the work place,” said Kathy Thorpe, a semi retired nurse who came to the Rally from Indiana.

Nurses earlier in the rally also said hey worried about the impact of the case on “Just Culture” They say it’s a process that’s as a safety net for nurses to report mistakes without the fear of being retaliated against or punished

“If nurses report med errors and then they are charged and convicted, this is a big problem with Just Culture now because nurses are going to have a fear of reporting mistakes. And this is going to affect healthcare and the way we practice,” said Taccara Durrett who has been a nurse for 13 years and flew from Connecticut for the rally.

In the end, one nurse, Nurse Moore from Oklahoma City, wants people to remember “no matter what we will always do our hardest and we will always continue to put our lives and livelihood in jeopardy just to do that for you.”

The rally started with a moment of silence for for 74 year old Charlene Murphey who died in Vaught’s care in 2017

After the ruling organizers reminded supporters and nurses to talk to legislators about passing laws that protect nurses and healthcare workers.

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