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Source: Teen Died Of Medication Error At St. Mary's Hospital
State Launches Investigation Into Death
POSTED: 5:58 pm CDT July 12,
2006
UPDATED: 9:53 pm CDT July 12,
2006
MADISON, Wis. -- State officials on Wednesday launched an investigation into St. Mary's Hospital to find out why a 16-year-old girl suddenly died there.
VIDEO: Watch The ReportA source close to the family told WISC-TV that the Verona High School student was there to give birth but died after receiving the wrong medication.The source said the Madison teenager was being induced into labor at the hospital when she was given the "wrong drug" and died.Jasmine Gant, who would have been a junior at Verona High School, died at St. Mary's Hospital last Wednesday, the same day her baby was born.The 8-and-a-half pound boy named Gregory was saved and Gant's family chaplain Alice Howard said the family focus now is on caring for him.Howard said family members told her Gant was being induced into labor at the hospital when she was given the wrong drug and then "her body shut down." Howard said the situation was "mishandled" and that "they did the wrong thing."The state Department of Health and Family Services is now investigating."We began our investigation into the incident that occurred at St. Mary's. Not only are we reviewing this tragedy but also conducting a thorough review of the hospital to ensure they have the necessary systems in place to protect the people in their care," said Stephanie Marquis, a spokesperson for the Wisconsin Department of Health and Family Services.State investigators said they will go to the hospital, pull records and talk to staff to find out exactly what happened and to make sure no systemic problems exist.Authorities won't say what prompted their investigation, only that St. Mary's "self-reported an incident involving a patient death."St. Mary's, which handles thousands of births each year, said it is withholding comment to honor the family's wishes.Gant's teachers said she was a rising star, active and ambitious.St. Mary's uses a bar-code technology to prevent medication errors, WISC-TV reported.Under the Bridges Medication system, staff scan their badges, the patent's I.D. and the drug to ensure that everything is correct.What happened in this instance is now under scrutiny by the coroner, the state and a federal agency that awards hospital accreditation.St. Mary's has been in good standing, WISC-TV reported.
VIDEO: Watch The ReportA source close to the family told WISC-TV that the Verona High School student was there to give birth but died after receiving the wrong medication.The source said the Madison teenager was being induced into labor at the hospital when she was given the "wrong drug" and died.Jasmine Gant, who would have been a junior at Verona High School, died at St. Mary's Hospital last Wednesday, the same day her baby was born.The 8-and-a-half pound boy named Gregory was saved and Gant's family chaplain Alice Howard said the family focus now is on caring for him.Howard said family members told her Gant was being induced into labor at the hospital when she was given the wrong drug and then "her body shut down." Howard said the situation was "mishandled" and that "they did the wrong thing."The state Department of Health and Family Services is now investigating."We began our investigation into the incident that occurred at St. Mary's. Not only are we reviewing this tragedy but also conducting a thorough review of the hospital to ensure they have the necessary systems in place to protect the people in their care," said Stephanie Marquis, a spokesperson for the Wisconsin Department of Health and Family Services.State investigators said they will go to the hospital, pull records and talk to staff to find out exactly what happened and to make sure no systemic problems exist.Authorities won't say what prompted their investigation, only that St. Mary's "self-reported an incident involving a patient death."St. Mary's, which handles thousands of births each year, said it is withholding comment to honor the family's wishes.Gant's teachers said she was a rising star, active and ambitious.St. Mary's uses a bar-code technology to prevent medication errors, WISC-TV reported.Under the Bridges Medication system, staff scan their badges, the patent's I.D. and the drug to ensure that everything is correct.What happened in this instance is now under scrutiny by the coroner, the state and a federal agency that awards hospital accreditation.St. Mary's has been in good standing, WISC-TV reported. Previous Stories:
- July 10, 2006: Coroner Investigating Teen's Death At St. Mary's Hospital
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