Mission Hospital, It’s Time To Say You’re Sorry
You may know the story of Taylee Blischke, a newborn who nearly died in April 2009 at Mission Hospital in Mission Viejo, California. Morphine was mistakenly given to Taylee, instead of her mother who was holding the infant. California investigators say mother and baby had IVs that were mixed up. To add insult to injury, the hospital initially accused the baby’s mother Jessica of being a drug addict and passing the morphine along to her baby through her breast milk.
Fortunately, Taylee survived and now appears to be a healthy toddler.
In May, the California Department of Public Health fined Mission $50,000 for the error.
What bothers me most about this story is not the mistake, or even the initial accusation, it’s the official, carefully worded response that was recently issued by the hospital:
Our healthcare organization is deeply concerned about an incident that occurred in which an infant was mistakenly administered a medication last year. Consistent with our commitment to our patients we have conducted a process review and provided ongoing education and training for our patient care teams with regard to administering medications. While this incident is regretful, we are thankful that both the mother and baby were discharged in healthy condition …”
“While the incident is regretful?” Now that’s a statement that exudes compassion and sincerity.
What is so difficult about saying ‘We are so sorry that Taylee was injured while under our care.” It’s what Todd and Jessica Blischke deserve to hear.
More: Newborn Medical Mixup
9/2/10 Addendum:
This case has, understandably, sparked a strong emotional response from many readers. My purpose in including it here was not to blame or shame anyone. I know that in nearly every case of serious medical error, caregivers are distraught.
My purpose was to draw attention to how fearful many organization leaders remain to simply saying “We’re sorry,” when a sincere apology could do everyone so much good. Sadly, it seems to be a challenge for most of us to say those words when they are called for. ~Rita~
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