To: Governor Gavin Newsom
Require California hospitals to conduct thorough tests to detect enlarged hearts in newborns befo...
California law should require heart screenings to all new born babys to decrease the risk of unexplained infant deaths related to heart problems like enlarged hearts.
Why is this important?
Although I am not sure about laws regarding the release of infants from the hospital after childbirth I know that the lack of medical screenings for heart complications, like enlarged hearts, are few and far between and as a result my family has been profoundly affected. Two weeks ago my 6 week old niece, Sophia, passed away "unexpectedly" because she had an enlarged heart that went undetected during pregnancy and throughout follow-up medical exams. Her father, my brother, alerted the prenatal providers and hospital staff that he was born with heart problems, more specifically a hole in his heart. My brother survived the heart abnormality in the 80s but my niece Sophia wasn't as lucky. Even though there was a history of heart complications in my family the hospital staff did not run the necessary tests to monitor or even look at Sophia's heart. Sophia was not properly monitored while in the womb nor properly evaluated before leaving the hospital. Because of this my family and I will live the rest of our lives with a hole in our hearts because we won't have Sophia, our little Angel. Sophia deserved better.
What enrages me the most about this is that when my sister gave birth to her daughter two years ago her doctors provided continuous assistance, support, and screenings during her pregnancy and after the baby was born because of our family history. There shouldn't be different levels of care for pregnant mothers and newborns.
It's time for the state of California to hold hospitals accountable for "unexplained" infant deaths and to start to require hospitals to do the necessary tests to screen infants for heart problems early on. Don't allow any more parents to lose their children because of undetected heart problems like Sophia's. A heart problem didn't take our Angel, lack of medical tests and screenings may have. The state of California has to protect the rights of every citizen no matter how young they may be. Thousands of infant deaths occur each year, not to mention the amount of sudden deaths among youth and adults with similar heart conditions. It is time for hospitals to be held accountable for their screening practices. Tell California legislators to do something about "unexpected" child deaths now.
What enrages me the most about this is that when my sister gave birth to her daughter two years ago her doctors provided continuous assistance, support, and screenings during her pregnancy and after the baby was born because of our family history. There shouldn't be different levels of care for pregnant mothers and newborns.
It's time for the state of California to hold hospitals accountable for "unexplained" infant deaths and to start to require hospitals to do the necessary tests to screen infants for heart problems early on. Don't allow any more parents to lose their children because of undetected heart problems like Sophia's. A heart problem didn't take our Angel, lack of medical tests and screenings may have. The state of California has to protect the rights of every citizen no matter how young they may be. Thousands of infant deaths occur each year, not to mention the amount of sudden deaths among youth and adults with similar heart conditions. It is time for hospitals to be held accountable for their screening practices. Tell California legislators to do something about "unexpected" child deaths now.