Federal Agency Warns Texas Hospitals on Newborn's Disability Care
The Department of Health and Human Services has sent letters to two Dallas hospitals warning that federal disability law requires them to provide medically necessary treatment to a newborn with a severe heart condition.
The Department of Health and Human Services' Office for Civil Rights has notified Children's Medical Center of Dallas and UT Southwestern Medical Center that federal disability law prohibits withholding medical treatment based on a person's disability.
The action concerns a newborn diagnosed with hypoplastic left heart syndrome, a congenital condition in which the left side of the heart is severely underdeveloped. According to HHS, federal law prevents hospitals from denying life-sustaining treatment based on judgments that the life of someone with a disability has less value or that the individual would impose a burden on others.
HHS said it is monitoring the case and offering technical assistance to the hospitals as they determine the newborn's care. The agency is also urging the hospitals to seek a review by an infant care committee if doctors consider withholding or withdrawing medically indicated treatment, with life-sustaining care to continue during such review.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has also taken action to ensure the newborn receives what his office described as medically necessary, life-saving care. Paxton secured a court order aimed at protecting the infant's medical treatment.
This story was written from a community submission and reviewed by a ClickNNY editor before publication.