Illinois hospital cleared of wrongdoing in case of infant cut from mother's womb

Health officials determined Oak Lawn, Ill.-based Advocate Christ Medical Center followed proper protocols in caring for the infant cut from his murdered mother's womb, according to a report from the Illinois Department of Public Health obtained by WGN 9.

The baby died June 14 after spending more than seven weeks in the intensive care unit at Advocate Christ. The infant was brought to the hospital April 23 by a woman who claimed him as her own and was later charged in connection to the murder of his mother, Marlen Ochoa-Lopez.

Illinois health officials were investigating whether Advocate Christ violated the Abuse and Neglected Children Reporting Act by not notifying authorities of the newborn until May 9.

An investigation revealed several minor deficiencies at the hospital regarding patient rights standards, according to the Chicago Tribune. However, CMS ruled that Advocate Christ is still in "substantial compliance" with federal regulations, IDPH said in a statement cited by WGN 9.

While Advocate Christ was cleared of wrongdoing, the hospital said it is still "committed to learning from the experience to improve processes."

The hospital said it plans to develop systems for leaders to communicate and manage police activity on campus "to ensure collaboration on safe, efficient and effective processes for all parties," according to a June 13 letter Advocate Christ President Matthew Primack sent to health officials.

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