I find this completely absurd, and IMO this nurse needs some sort of repurcussion for her actions. Calling CPS is a big deal, and should not be taken lightly. I was curious what other nurses opinions would be over this.
BABY HELD AT HOSPITAL, NURSE CALLS CPS WITHOUT CAUSE AFTER PEDIATRICIAN GIVES OK TO RELEASE BABY
Las Vegas, NV - A mother laboring under the care of Certified Professional Midwife April Kermani was transported to Summerlin Hospital Tuesday for stalled labor. Dr. Donald Roberts assumed care, and the mother gave birth lady partslly to a healthy baby girl about 7 hours after admission. On Wednesday the parents, Cecilia and Lincoln Rogers, were told they could not be discharged without a blood test for jaundice, a common and typically harmless condition among newborns. The test results came back with slightly elevated levels of bilirubin, indicating a mild case of jaundice.
The nursing staff told the parents they would have to place their daughter, Lilia Taylor Rogers, in isolation to undergo phototherapy and not allowed to nurse, but fed artificially with formula instead. They refused the treatment since newborn jaundice will usually resolve itself within two weeks. The AAP (American Academy of Pediatrics) recommends that jaundiced newborns continue to breastfeed regularly, as frequent feedings help remove bilirubin in the body. They were told by the attending pediatrician they were cleared to take the baby home and follow up with their midwife and pediatrician over the next several days.
A pediatric nurse then reported these parents to social services and the police, for unknown reasons. Their baby was held against their will at Summerlin Hospital for well over 24 hours. "We are being treated like criminals," says the distraught mother. The CPS social worker calls the case "ridiculous." Lilia's bilirubin levels were back within the normal range very quickly.
Thanks for the unnecessary definition. I didn't say it was a news source. I've worked for plenty of organizations that put out Press Releases, and I've never worked for a news organization.
What I stated is that generally, Press Releases from reputable sources include contact information....the one I saw had none. Without knowing the sources of the information, I don't find it credible.
No offense was directed at you, and your additional point about contact information is applicable.
Clarification of what a press release is, and isn't, will probably be helpful to other readers of the thread (at present, 35 readers other than you & me).
No offense was directed at you, and your additional point about contact information is applicable.
Clarification of what a press release is, and isn't, will probably be helpful to other readers of the thread (at present, 35 readers other than you & me).
My apologies if I misinterpreted that you were directing your comment to me, in the post in which you quoted my comment, and then defined the topic I wrote about.
My apologies if I misinterpreted that you were directing your comment to me, in the post in which you quoted my comment, and then defined the topic I wrote about.
Specializes in Med/Surg, Neuro, ICU, travel RN, Psych.
First, I apologize I posted this without verifying where the story came from. Someone gave me the story, saying it was from an article. I posted before getting more info, as I was asked if I would get other nurses opinions. I then left the house before getting more info. Turns out she was wrong it was actually just a press release, not a legit news article. It's my fault for not verifying the source first.
But either way, I was still curious to see what others though. As they are claiming this is what happened, official news story or not. This apparently just happened yesterday, and the child was released today from what i understand.
I do agree there must be more to the story. Would CPS be able to hold a discharge while investigating? Let me also clarify I do not believe there should be repurcussions for reporting to CPS, I was only referring to this particular situation, if the story was truly as reported.
First, I apologize I posted this without verifying where the story came from. Someone gave me the story, saying it was from an article. I posted before getting more info, as I was asked if I would get other nurses opinions. I then left the house before getting more info. Turns out she was wrong it was actually just a press release, not a legit news article. It's my fault for not verifying the source first.
But either way, I was still curious to see what others though. As they are claiming this is what happened, official news story or not. This apparently just happened yesterday, and the child was released today from what i understand.
I do agree there must be more to the story. Would CPS be able to hold a discharge while investigating? Let me also clarify I do not believe there should be repurcussions for reporting to CPS, I was only referring to this particular situation, if the story was truly as reported.
But...the ped discharged them. So clearly, it wasn't high enough that s/he was concerned enough to do more than tell them to follow up in a couple days.
I was quoting the poster's blanket statement that all forms of jaundice are benign and are not considered medical emergencies. In this particular case, I can't judge because I don't know the levels or the assessment of the baby. You're right, though, that if the pediatrician gave the okay, it probably wasn't at that high of level (unless there was some gross negligence on the ped's part!)
I wonder if the nurse thought that the parents wouldn't bring the baby in for follow-up appointments...in any case, like I've said, it's gotta be pretty darn serious for CPS to be involved (as we've even had domestic violence cases denied ) and it sounds like there is more to this story.
But a mandated reporter for...what? You think the baby's jaundice is too high? So you're going to call CPS and get a court hold on the baby? How is jaundice under the purview of CPS?
That's why I suspect there's more to the story than that. I can't imagine CPS getting involved over JAUNDICE when the parents want to take their baby home after the pediatrician wrote discharge orders.
As another poster mentioned, this discussion is kind of academic at this point, but the thing is, if you have a concern, you aren't supposed to be worried about how the investigation goes, or if it results in anything. If a nurse believes not treating jaundice is negligence, they are allowed to report it. As the person I took my mandatory reporting class from mentioned, it might not seem like a big deal to you, but this may be the event that shows a pattern and triggers CPS to do something.
So what we have is a statement to the media from a couple in which they name their physician and midwife, and allegedly quote an unnamed county social worker, and comment on the alleged actions of one or more unnamed nurses.
I'm sorry -- I can appreciate that perhaps the OP is attempting to have a discussion of the ethics of a hypothetical situation ... but I just can't attribute any credibility to this.
) and it sounds like there is more to this story.
Altra, BSN, RN
6,255 Posts
No offense was directed at you, and your additional point about contact information is applicable.
Clarification of what a press release is, and isn't, will probably be helpful to other readers of the thread (at present, 35 readers other than you & me).