A NY Hospital fired a nurse who was caught slamming a crying newborn baby into a bassinet in the NICU at Good Samaritan Hospital in West Islip, NY.
“It was heartbreaking,” said baby Nikko’s mother, Consuelo Saravia. “I couldn’t stop crying, I couldn’t even sleep.”
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.
“I don’t know, it just broke me,” said Fidel. “I didn’t know what to do.”
Fidel showed the video to Consuelo, who confronted the nurse.
Consuelo recalled the conversation: “I told her ‘I don’t want you to touch my child. You just slammed him.’ She said ‘Oh no, if you think I mishandled him or anything, I’m sorry.'”
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.
“Additionally, we reported the individual to the Department of Health for further review. Keeping our patients safe remains our paramount concern.”
Fidel said he’s thankful he decided to go check on his son when he did.
“If it wasn’t for God who sent me to check on him we would have never seen any of that happen,” he said. “And It would have kept happening overnight not only to him but the other babies, too.”
He added: “I find it messed up that in a room like that they have all the curtains closed.”
Catholic Health defended the use of closed curtains in the NICU windows.
“It is standard procedure to have closed curtains in the neonatal ICU to provide privacy for the patients and their families.”
Suffolk Police say their Special Victims Unit is investigating.
Baby Nikko is at home and doing fine.
Watch the video below.
