A NY Hospital fired a nurse who was caught slamming a crying newborn baby into a bassinet in the NICU.
Good Samaritan Hospital in West Islip, NY terminated the nurse after a shocking video of the incident went viral.
âIt was heartbreaking,â said baby Nikkoâs mother, Consuelo Saravia. âI couldnât stop crying, I couldnât even sleep.â
2-day-old Nikko was in the Neonatal ICU for observation after receiving antibiotics. First-time father, Fidel Sinclair, went to see his son in the NICU and noticed him crying through a small opening in a curtain over the window.
When he began recording on his cellphone he captured a disturbing sight. A nurse grabbed baby Nikko, turned him around and slammed him face down into the bassinet.
âI donât know, it just broke me,â said Fidel. âI didnât know what to do.â
Fidel showed the video to Consuelo, who confronted the nurse.
Consuelo recalled the conversation: âI told her âI donât want you to touch my child. You just slammed him.â She said âOh no, if you think I mishandled him or anything, Iâm sorry.’â
Consuelo showed the video to other nurses and hospital administrators.
Catholic Health, which runs Good Samaritan, told NBC New York that immediate action was taken, including conducting an investigation and firing the individual involved.
âAdditionally, we reported the individual to the Department of Health for further review. Keeping our patients safe remains our paramount concern.â
Fidel said heâs thankful he decided to go check on his son when he did.
âIf it wasnât for God who sent me to check on him we would have never seen any of that happen,â he said. âAnd It would have kept happening overnight not only to him but the other babies, too.â
He added: âI find it messed up that in a room like that they have all the curtains closed.â
Catholic Health defended the use of closed curtains in the NICU windows.
âIt is standard procedure to have closed curtains in the neonatal ICU to provide privacy for the patients and their families.â
Suffolk Police say their Special Victims Unit is investigating while Baby Nikko is at home doing fine.
Watch the video below.