THOUSAND OAKS: Los Robles Med Center Proposes Pediatric Ward Improvements
In response to "deficiencies in infant security and safety maintenance" discovered in a surprise June inspection by the state Department of Health Services, the Los Robles Regional Medical Center has submitted a plan to correct shortcomings in its pediatric ward, the Los Angeles Times reports. Additional violations of state regulations included an unauthorized plan to move the pediatric ward to a different floor, failure to create a larger play area, creation of a safety hazard by leaving equipment in the ward hallway, and failure to maintain adequate safety procedures. Specifically, according to the state inspector's report, the "facility staff failed to implement their own policies and procedures to protect infants from removal from the facility by unauthorized persons."
In Its Defense
Hospital spokesperson Kris Carraway-Bowman notes that "We have a very intricate infant security system. There are a lot of checks and balances to that." To date, there have been no infants taken from the hospital by "unauthorized people." In addition to posting names and locations of infants and their mothers, the hospital has used an electronic monitoring system to track infants since 1994. While hospital officials declined to comment or provide details until they had received approval for the plan, the state report indicates that the plan includes provisions for reviewing the monitoring system (Denina, 8/10).