'Chicago Med' Season 5 Episode 11: Will's proposal for a safe injection site could cost him his license
Dr Will Halstead had a tough episode last week. After a woman comes in with her son who is injured, on talking to her he realizes that he has treated her before. Will's prescription of oxycodone for the patient's pain got her addicted to drugs.
While Will's ex, Dr Natalie Manning, treats the woman's son, she learns that the woman has taught her son how to use naloxone in the event she overdoses, and what's worse is that the son had had to use it multiple times.
Based on what she learns, Natalie calls Child Protective Services. This causes the woman to run from the hospital. Later, a patient comes in, having overdosed. The woman dies and Will realizes she is his patient.
Having been shaken up over her death, and feeling guilty about her son becoming an orphan, Will decides to go to the hospital board to propose starting a safe injection site — somewhere those who addicted could come in to inject under medical supervision.
While administrator, Sharon Goodwin is all for the idea, hospital board member and COO Gwen Garrett immediately opposes this — something viewers wouldn't be surprised by as Gwen has repeatedly opted for safekeeping the hospital's reputation, rather than patients' well-being.
Gwen is having her own issues. She is going through a divorce and on this particular day, she had to drop off her baby at the daycare. However, when Natalie comes into work, she sees the baby locked in the car and manages to save the baby just in time.
When Will presents to the board, all the members — except Sharon — are skeptical. Sharon then suggests they go on a break and tells Will that she has an idea in order to get through to the board.
Sharon and Will rope in Dr Daniel Charles to help and he narrates the story of his little brother, who died from a heroin overdose. This strategy seems to have worked. Gwen tells Will that she has a "good feeling", though the final decision will not come until the board has reviewed the funding for the proposal.
Later, Sharon realizes that Gwen ruled in Will's favor because she thought it was a bargaining chip for Sharon's silence about her baby left in the car from her husband. But Sharon tells her that she was giving Gwen the space to tell her husband on her own time.
Natalie — in true Natalie fashion — tells Gwen's husband anyway. When Sharon stands up for her, Gwen tells her the board is definitely rejecting Will's proposal.
Will is angry, but he has another plan. He tells Dr Charles that he has a friend who is working on it but Dr Charles advises him that moving forward with that would cost Will his license.
As viewers, we know Will enough to know that he probably won't back down. And sure enough, Will visits a shady place at the end of the episode where the unsanctioned safe injection site is being set up, and Will tells his friend that he is all in.
What would this mean for Will's future? While Will has escaped the ordeal of losing his medical license in the past, can we be sure that he will be as lucky again?
'Chicago Med' airs on NBC on Wednesday nights.
