You should be able to trust healthcare facilities and their staff to act with the appropriate standard of care at all times. Unfortunately, there are times when a facility and its workers are negligent in their duties and cause serious injuries or death to patients. At The Weitz Firm, LLC, our Philadelphia medical malpractice attorneys want to talk about the case of an area pediatric care facility in which two children died and has since been given its license back.
The Pediatric Specialty Care facility in Philadelphia has been going through a tough time. Problems began in January and February when two children in their care lost their lives.
The first death was of a girl in the facility who died of sepsis. Staff at the facility failed to address her septic symptoms for hours as the infection set in and festered, according to state investigators.
Hayden Mapp, a 4-year-old boy with brittle bone disease, was the second death. It occurred four days after the first death. The death happened in the early morning hours of Feb. 4, 2018. Nurses say that Hayden screamed louder than normal. The nurse checked on him as he screamed for 30 more seconds and then stopped breathing. Despite efforts by staff at the facility and paramedics that arrived, Hayden died that morning.
Hayden was on a breathing tube and was supposed to be regularly monitored by a respiratory therapist. There was only one on duty to monitor 18 children on the floor Hayden was on.
Officially, Hayden’s death was due to natural causes, but there was no autopsy. The state’s Department of Human Services Office of Developmental Programs said that the facility, “through systematic failure to provide or arrange for adequate staffing, created conditions conducive to serious injury or death such as that of [Hayden].”
DHS downgraded the license of the facility in 2018 and halted their new admissions. The facility has since agreed to improve its policies and have two respiratory therapists and a nurse supervisor on duty at all times. The state has reinstated the facility’s license and allowed them to take new admissions again.
These incidents have called into question the ability of for-profit centers, such as Pediatric Specialty Care, to properly care for ill children.
If you or someone you love has been injured or become ill due to the careless actions of a medical facility or individual provider, please seek legal assistance immediately. At The Weitz Firm, LLC, we specialize in these cases. We understand what it takes to secure the compensation you truly deserve for what has happened. This can include:
When you need a Philadelphia medical malpractice attorney, you can contact us for a free consultation by calling at 267-587-6240.
We are highly selective in the cases we undertake to ensure that can give each client his full attention. You can schedule an appointment for a personal injury consultation at our Philadelphia office by calling us, or by filling out our online intake form.
