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GILBERT, Ariz. - The family of a Valley man who died while being treated for depression at a Gilbert mental health facility has filed a lawsuit alleging he was given the wrong medication.
Kyle Slade, 40, a volunteer football coach at Campo Verde High School, admitted himself to Copper Springs East on Sept. 25 for depression. He died several days later.
His wife, Morgan Slade, who is now raising their four children alone, is processing the tragic loss.
What they're saying:
"We missed Kyle a lot," Morgan said.
The lawsuit claims a nurse mistakenly administered an overdose, giving him 90 milligrams of methadone.
"The nurse unfortunately dosed him with 90 milligrams of methadone, and he's completely opiate naive, and it took his life," Morgan Slade said.
According to the complaint, staff members then sent Slade back to his room for three hours before they discovered him unresponsive and called 911. The lawsuit also alleges the nurse later told an on-call physician that Slade was mistakenly given only 9 milligrams of methadone.
The family's attorney, Richard Lyons, said multiple failures led to the death. "If the methadone is not given, Kyle's alive. If he's sent to the emergency department, Kyle's alive. If Narcan is given, Kyle's alive ... And his kids have a dad."
Slade was an organ donor, and his family took part in an honor walk before the donation surgery. "Very special, almost a reverent type of feeling as you walk him down the hall and that was so difficult," said his mother, Christy Zundal.
LifePoint Health, which runs Copper Springs East, released a statement saying they are "deeply saddened by the loss of this patient" and will "continue to cooperate fully with the investigation."
Full Statements:
Full statement from NurseIO (staffing agency that provided the nurse):
NurseIO is deeply saddened by the tragic incident at the behavioral health facility. Our thoughts are with the patient’s family and loved ones during this difficult time.
We are a credentialing and staffing marketplace that connects licensed healthcare professionals with facilities in need of temporary support. Every Professional using our platform undergoes credential verification, including confirmation of all active licenses and certifications before being presented to a facility.
While NurseIO facilitates these connections, each contracting facility is responsible for onboarding, orientation, training, supervision, and ensuring compliance with its internal policies and procedures. Facilities determine which professionals to engage and oversee all aspects of patient care.
NurseIO does not direct or deliver patient care, but we take our responsibilities in credential verification and compliance seriously.
We are cooperating fully with the appropriate authorities and remain committed to supporting healthcare facilities and professionals through transparent, compliant, and reliable staffing solutions.
Full statement from Lifepoint Health:
We are aware of a lawsuit that was recently filed regarding a former patient. We are deeply saddened by the loss of this patient, and our thoughts and prayers are with his family during this difficult time. At Copper Springs East, our most important priority is ensuring that our patients receive excellent, safe care, and we take any allegation that this commitment has been violated extremely seriously. We will continue to fully cooperate with all those investigating this matter. Out of respect for patient privacy, we cannot provide any further details at this time, and we appreciate your understanding.
What you can do:
You can click here to learn more about Kyle and read documents relating to this case.