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Temecula Brain Injury Lawyers | Hospitals fined for putting babies at risk for brain damage

California’s Department of Health slapped three fines totaling $225,000 on hospitals in the Southwest Healthcare System for endangering patients. Two of the fines allege that Southwest’s Murrieta facility failed to properly test for hyperbilirubinemia, a condition that puts babies at risk for brain damage, disabilities and death, according to a San Jose Mercury News report.

The hospital also allegedly caused a fire risk by failing to maintain a sufficient humidity level in an operating room where three Caesarian sections were performed, according to Department of Health inspectors. Six other hospitals also were fined, including Kaiser Foundation Hospital in Fontana, for allegedly leaving a sponge inside a woman after a C-section; St. Joseph Hospital in Orange, for allegedly giving a respiratory patient an empty oxygen tank (the patient died); Sutter Davis Hospital in Davis, for alleged failure to administer medication safely and effectively; California Pacific Medical Center in San Francisco, Scripps Mercy Hospital in San Diego and St. Bernardine Medical Center in San Bernardino, for alleged failure to follow surgical policies and procedures.