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Seattle Children’s Hospital would have you believe it is a “world class child heallth care center,” a “premier child health care center” and “recogonized as one of the leading U.S. hospitals for children.” The reality is something completely different!
My in-laws, including my niece who has a 2 year old son, live in Seattle so I follow the news in Seattle. There is shocking news about the medical care at Seattle Children’s Hospital. As news stations and newspapers in Seattle have reported, Michael Blankenship went to Seattle Children’s hospital for a routine dental procedure and was discharged with a fentanyl patch for pain.
Seattle Children’s hospital made a FATAL mistake that cost Michael Blankenship his life. The patch was the highest dose of fentanyl which is given to relieve the unrelenting pain of cancer. Michael’s mother put Michael to bed with the patch only to find Michael unresponsive in the morning. Michael, who was autistic and unable to speak or even cry out for help, died as a result of the negligence of Seattle’s Children’s Hospital according to the medical examiner.
The Blankenship family hired the best medical malpractice lawyer in Seattle, Chris Davis, and filed a law suit against the hospital asking for fair compensation for the death of Michael.
What did the self-described “world class” Seattle Children’s Hospital (which has a Center for Children with Special Needs) do to resolve this tragedy? The hospital refused to accept their full responsibility for Michael’s death and fairly compensate the Blankenship family.
Because Seattle Children’s Hospital has betrayed the trust the Blankenship family and that of all Seattle families the Blankenships will now have to re-live Michael’s death as this case moves through the legal process. Can you imagine what Michael’s mother will have to go through with the hospital’s lawyer as she has to answer questions about Michael and his death?
Hospital’s complain all the time about medical malpractice lawsuits and, yet, when faced with clear evidence of their negligence Seattle Children’s Hospital chose to tell the Blankenship that fair compensation for the death of an autistic child was less than fair compensation for a normal child. If you have a child with any kind of medical needs or a child with special needs in Seattle, find another hospital. Tell your peditrician and your friends that you won’t endanger the life of your children by going to a hospital who refuses to admit its mistakes, pay fair compensation and treats one child differently from another.
My heart goes out to the Blankenship family and their Seattle malpractice lawyer, Chris Davis of the Davis Law Group. They have created a foundation in Michael’s name for helping autisitc children in Seattle. I only hope that, at some point soon, Seattle Children’s Hospital acts like the premier health care facility it would have you believe it is and, after paying fair compensation for Michael’s death, becomes a Charter Member of this foundation. Only then will Seattle Children’s Hospital truly be one of the leading U.S. hospitals for children.