A nurse at Poplar Springs Hospital in Petersburg has been awarded a “Doing the RIGHT Thing” commendation for keeping a suicidal man talking on the phone until emergency personnel arrived to rescue him from a bridge. Poplar Springs Hospital executives presented the award to Karen Heidorn on May 29. Heidorn, who has more than 13 years of experience handling trauma and high-stress situations, spoke with the man for more than a half-hour.

A certified nurse anesthetist has pleaded guilty to giving himself pain medication intended for patients at two Virginia hospitals. Alvin Earl Parkes admitted Thursday in U.S. District Court in Roanoke to two counts of obtaining controlled substances through fraud or deception. U.S. Attorney Julia C. Dudley said the 62-year-old Draper man diverted fentanyl prescribed to pregnant women and patients undergoing surgeries and such procedures as colonoscopies.