Alex Wubbels
{{short description|American nurse and former Olympian (born 1976)}}
{{infobox person
| birth_name = Alexandra Luise Shaffer
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1976|1|23}}
| birth_place = Aspen, Colorado, U.S.
| occupation = Nurse
| known = Olympic skier,
Arrested for obstructing unlawful police procedures, later released without charge (July 2017)
| spouse = Cory Wubbels (m. 2014)
}}
Alexandra Luise Wubbels{{cite web |title=Wubbels, Alexandra L |url=http://people.utah.edu/uWho/basic.hml?eid=44797745 |website=The University of Utah Campus Directory |access-date=December 24, 2017}} (née Shaffer; born January 23, 1976) is an American nurse and former Olympian. As an alpine ski competitor, she was the national champion in both the slalom and giant slalom in 1999, and competed in the 1998 and 2002 Winter Olympics as Alex Shaffer.{{cite Sports-Reference |url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/sh/alex-shaffer-1.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200417224908/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/sh/alex-shaffer-1.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=2020-04-17 |title=Alex Shaffer}}
In July 2017, she was involved in an incident during which she prevented police from unlawfully obtaining blood from an unconscious patient in her care.{{cite news |last=Manson |first=Pamela |title=Video shows Utah nurse screaming, being handcuffed after refusing to take blood from unconscious victim |url=https://www.sltrib.com/news/2017/08/31/utah-nurse-arrested-after-complying-with-hospital-policy-that-bars-taking-blood-from-unconscious-victim/ |newspaper=The Salt Lake Tribune |date=August 31, 2017 |access-date=September 3, 2017}}
Early life
Wubbels graduated from Salt Lake City's non-profit, Rowland K-12 school in 1994, participating in the Rowmark Ski Academy.{{cite journal |url=https://www.rowlandhall.org/page.cfm?p=3696&newsid=1890 |title=Extraordinary Athletes: How Rowmark Ski Academy Develops Future Olympians |journal=Fine Print |publisher=Rowland Hall |date=Spring 2018 |access-date=July 6, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180706075502/https://www.rowlandhall.org/page.cfm?p=3696&newsid=1890 |archive-date=July 6, 2018 |url-status=dead }} She earned a nursing degree from the University of Utah.
Career
=Olympic skier=
{{MedalTableTop |
sport= Women's alpine skiing
{{Medal|Competition | United States Alpine Championship}}
{{Medal|Gold | 1999 Park City | Giant slalom}}
{{Medal|Gold | 1999 Park City | Slalom}}
}}
|}
Competing in the alpine skiing events at the 1998 Winter Olympics held in Nagano, Japan, Alex Shaffer finished 9th in the women's combined and did not finish in the women's giant slalom. She also competed in the Alpine skiing events at the 2002 Winter Olympics held in Salt Lake City, Utah, where she finished 28th in the women's giant slalom.
=Nurse=
{{Main|2017 University of Utah Hospital incident}}
According to Wubbels, a sports psychologist encouraged her to go into nursing after matching her personality with the profession.{{cite journal |last=Wubbels |first=Alex |title=Standing Her Ground: A Strong Voice for Patient and Nurse Safety |url=https://www.aacn.org/journalassets/Bold%20Voices/10/5/BV%205_18.pdf#page=18 |journal=AACN Bold Voices |publisher=American Association of Critical-Care Nurses |date=May 2018 |access-date=July 6, 2018}} Wubbels began working as a nurse at the University of Utah Hospital in Salt Lake City in 2009.{{cite news |last1=Ortiz |first1=Erik |last2=Siemaszko |first2=Corky |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/utah-nurse-arrested-refusing-give-patient-s-blood-police-n798021 |title=Videos show nurse who refused to give patients' blood to police get arrested |work=NBC News |date=September 1, 2017 |access-date=July 6, 2018}}
On July 26, 2017, she was unlawfully arrested for "obstructing justice" while on duty as a nurse at the University of Utah Hospital in Salt Lake City. The incident was later made public via the officers' body cameras. The arresting officer, detective Jeff Payne of the Salt Lake City Police Department, demanded that blood be drawn from an unconscious patient, but Wubbels stated that doing so would be a violation of hospital policy, which required that the patient be under arrest, or had given consent, or that the police were in possession of a warrant (either a printed copy or an electronic one). The patient was the victim in a car crash and was not under arrest, but was unconscious and therefore unable to consent, and the police had not obtained a warrant.{{cite news |last=Sterling |first=Joe |title='Scared to death' nurse in Utah video: 'I stood my ground' |url=http://www.cnn.com/2017/09/04/health/utah-nurse-police-encounter/index.html |publisher=CNN |date=September 4, 2017 |access-date=September 4, 2017}} She followed hospital policy and refused to allow the officer to draw blood, and the arresting officers proceeded to forcibly put her in handcuffs and into the front passenger seat of their cruiser.{{cite news |last=Hawkins |first=Derek |title='This is crazy,' sobs Utah hospital nurse as cop roughs her up, arrests her for doing her job |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2017/09/01/this-is-crazy-sobs-utah-hospital-nurse-as-cop-roughs-her-up-arrests-her-for-doing-her-job/ |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=September 2, 2017 |access-date=September 3, 2017}} The year-old hospital policy related to blood draws reflects the legal position in the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), as well as the Supreme Court of the United States' ruling in Birchfield v. North Dakota and had been agreed to by the police department.
Wubbels was later released without charge.{{cite news |last=Gray |first=Melissa |title='I've done nothing wrong': Utah nurse's arrest prompts police apology |url=http://www.cnn.com/2017/09/01/health/utah-nurse-arrest-police-video/index.html |publisher=CNN |date=September 1, 2017 |access-date=September 3, 2017}} The arresting officer was fired on October 10, and his supervisor was demoted two ranks from Lieutenant to Officer.{{cite news |url=https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/police-union-blasts-handling-utah-nurse-arrest-probe-50089189 |title=Police union blasts handling of Utah nurse arrest probe |date=September 25, 2017 |work=ABC News |access-date=October 1, 2017 |agency=Associated Press |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171001121719/https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/police-union-blasts-handling-utah-nurse-arrest-probe-50089189 |archive-date=October 1, 2017 |url-status=dead }}{{cite news |last1=Allen |first1=Karma |title=Officer fired for dragging screaming nurse out of hospital |url=https://abcnews.go.com/US/utah-officer-fired-handcuffing-dragging-screaming-nurse-hospital/story?id=50407897 |access-date=October 12, 2017 |work=ABC News |date=October 11, 2017}}{{cite news |last=Cummings |first=William |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2017/10/10/utah-cop-fired-after-arresting-nurse/752541001/ |title=Utah cop fired after arresting nurse who wouldn't draw blood |work=USA Today |date=October 10, 2017 |access-date=October 11, 2017}}{{Cite news |url=http://abc7chicago.com/utah-police-officer-who-handcuffed-dragged-nurse-in-video-fired/2517160/|title=Utah police officer who handcuffed, dragged nurse in video fired|date=2017-10-10 |work=ABC7 Chicago |access-date=2017-10-11|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171011013108/http://abc7chicago.com/utah-police-officer-who-handcuffed-dragged-nurse-in-video-fired/2517160/|archive-date=October 11, 2017|url-status=dead|agency=Associated Press|language=en-US|df=mdy-all}} On October 31, 2017, Wubbels and her attorney announced that Salt Lake City and the University of Utah had agreed to settle the incident for $500,000. She said that part of her settlement will go toward efforts geared to making body cam footage more accessible to the public.{{cite news |last=Francis |first=Simone |url=https://www.abc4.com/news/local-news/utah-nurse-at-center-of-controversial-arrest-announces-500k-settlement/ |title=Utah nurse at center of controversial arrest announces $500K settlement |date=November 1, 2017 |work=ABC 4 News |access-date=2023-06-04}}{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-41827040 |title=US nurse gets $500,000 in blood arrest row |date=November 1, 2017 |work=BBC News |access-date=July 6, 2018}} The incident was one of the reasons Medscape put Wubbels on its list of the best physicians in 2017.{{cite web |last=Knowles |first=Megan |url=https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/hospital-physician-relationships/13-best-physicians-of-2017-as-named-by-medscape.html |title=13 best physicians of 2017, as named by Medscape |work=Becker's Hospital Review |date=2017-12-21 |access-date=December 23, 2017}}
Personal life
In June 2014 Shaffer married fellow skier Cory Wubbels. He is a former All-American Nordic skier who competed for Northern Michigan University and is a guitar player, carpenter and master ski technician.{{cite news |last=Farrell |first=Paul |title=Alex Wubbels: 5 Fast Facts You Need To Know |url=https://heavy.com/news/2017/09/alex-wubbels-shaffer-nurse-skier-video/ |website=Heavy |date=September 1, 2017 |access-date=July 6, 2018}} They had their first child in December 2014.
References
{{reflist}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2014}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wubbels, Alex}}
Category:American female alpine skiers
Category:Olympic alpine skiers for the United States
Category:Alpine skiers at the 1998 Winter Olympics
Category:Alpine skiers at the 2002 Winter Olympics
Category:American women nurses
Category:Skiers from Aspen, Colorado
Category:Skiers from Salt Lake City
Category:21st-century American sportswomen