A Virginia NICU nurse was recently arrested after at least seven babies were found to have suffered broken bones without an explanation. According to reports from late last week, 26-year-old Erin Strotman has been charged with felony child neglect and felony malicious wounding over injuries one baby sustained at Henrico Doctors’ Hospital in Richmond.
Furthermore, three other babies suffered injuries in weeks prior throughout November and December, and four others were hurt in 2023. Local authorities have claimed they are conducting a “thorough investigation” and reviewing video footage from inside the NICU to gather evidence.
“This involves reviewing dozens of videos from inside the NICU. As previously mentioned, detectives are re-examining the 2023 and 2024 cases as part of this broader investigation,” Henrico County authorities explained in a press release.
“We appreciate the families’ and public’s patience as we work as thoroughly and expeditiously as possible to investigate every piece of evidence in connection to these cases,” Henrico Chief of Police Eric D. English stated. “I would also like to acknowledge the unwavering efforts of our detectives who continue to comb through hundreds of hours of footage and extend my sincere gratitude to Henrico’s Child Protective Services (Department of Social Services), the Henrico County Commonwealth Attorney’s Office, Virginia State Police, the Virginia Department of Health, and the Office of the Attorney General for their assistance in this matter.”
“While fractures occasionally happen with pre-term babies since they lack full fetal bone development, we are actively working to determine how these fractures occurred,” the hospital said about the matter. “It’s my baby boy. I feel like I’ve done nothing to protect him and that hurts. It pisses me off,” Dominique Hackey, the father of a premature baby who had been hurt said. “Somebody needs to be held accountable for my son, for everybody’s kid, somebody needs to be held accountable, it’s too many in such a short period of time,” he added.
According to a statement from the Henrico Doctors’ Hospital Intensive Care Unit released on Friday, “There has been an ongoing investigation into fractures sustained by patients in our NICU, and this morning, the Henrico County Police Department arrested a former employee of the hospital in connection with that investigation. We have been assisting law enforcement in their ongoing investigation and will continue to do so. Any media questions or inquiries about that investigation should be directed to law enforcement.”
“We are both shocked and saddened by this development in the investigation and are focused on continuing to care for our patients and providing support to our colleagues who have been deeply and personally impacted by this investigation,” the statement continued. “We are grateful to those colleagues, who have dedicated their professional lives to the care and safety of our patients, as well as to law enforcement and the other agencies who have worked aggressively and tirelessly with us on this investigation.”
In conclusion, the hospital maintained that it will continue striving to serve the community despite the horrific incidents. “For more than 30 years, the NICU at Henrico Doctors’ Hospital has provided necessary and life-saving care to babies in central Virginia and we remain focused on ensuring the availability of that care in our community,” the statement read.
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