It was reported in late June that HCA Healthcare, which operates Henrico Doctors’ Hospital, has settled with five families whose babies allegedly had their bones broken by neonatal ICU nurse Erin Strotman or experienced other forms of neglect while in the hospital’s neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). The hospital initially reported that three babies were found with such injuries in late 2024, and four others in the summer of 2023. Recently, a total of nine babies were reportedly found to have been abused and/or neglected by hospital staff. The hospital had temporarily closed its NICU to new admissions in December 2024 after multiple premature babies were found with unexplained fractures.
An attorney for HCA Healthcare stated in reference to the settlements: “As I stated in Friday’s proceedings, ‘All involved (hospital, board of health, and local investigators) wish Strotman had been identified as cause sooner.’ It was also stated during Friday’s proceedings that ‘As a hospital and healthcare provider, this is the last thing we would expect to occur under our roof – it will not happen again. Training has been enhanced; Proctoring and oversight has expanded; Video monitoring is more robust.’ We were grateful to have worked with some of the best lawyers in Virginia to appropriately address these matters. As you suggest, we have been able to confirm the resolution of matters with five respective families. We remain hopeful that the same will occur with the remaining families impacted by these events.”
As a result of an investigation, the Virginia Department of Health stated: “It was determined that the facility failed to protect patients from abuse and neglect. Specifically, the hospital failed to prevent abuse, identify injuries of unknown origin as indicators of potential abuse or neglect, report and investigate injuries of unknown origin [across multiple incidents], implement actions to protect patients from abuse and neglect and educate all health care professionals on abuse and neglect.”
The Virginia Department of Health found in 2023 that the hospital had failed to promptly notify Child Protective Services that four babies had been abused (there was no evidence that staff were involved). Subsequently, the Virginia Department of Health found that the hospital did nothing to protect its patients after the 2023 findings: “There was no evidence that, after receipt of the CPS findings, the facility implemented actions to prevent abuse, identify injuries of unknown origin as indicators of potential abuse, report and investigate all injuries of unknown origin, implement actions to protect patients from abuse and neglect, or educate all health care professionals on abuse and neglect.”
If your baby was unexpectedly injured while in a hospital in Virginia or elsewhere in the United States, you should promptly find a Virginia medical malpractice lawyer, or a medical malpractice lawyer in your state, who may investigate your baby’s injury medical malpractice claim for you and represent you and your loved one in a baby medical malpractice case, if appropriate.
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