As we approach the second anniversary of 4-month-old baby Noah Morton's death at Mount Sinai Hospital in Manhattan, his parents, amidst grief and unanswered questions, are turning to the courts to seek justice. Baby Noah, suffering from a complex heart condition and under the care of the NICU, died during a nurse's strike that had prompted concerns about inadequate staffing and experience levels of replacement nurses, as NBC New York reported. His mother, Saran James, has filed a lawsuit alleging that the hospital failed to "properly plan, staff, and care for their patients during the strike," leading to a tragic loss; the complaint specifically names the NICU nurses, on strike at a critical time, as having been replaced with individuals lacking the requisite experience and qualifications.
As the situation deteriorated over Noah's last 48 hours, these replacement nurses were reportedly too slow to respond, Kardon Stolzman, the attorney representing Noah's family, pointed out citing medical records both NBC New York and The New York Post referenced a source claiming that during the strike, some babies like Noah were given medicine hours later than necessary and that doctors found themselves overwhelmed, taking over nurses' responsibilities such as taking vitals and administering medication. Furthermore, one report following an investigation recommended a peer review of the incident, though it concluded that allegations regarding untimely medical management could not be validated.
The legal action surfaces amidst previous arbitrations where Mount Sinai Hospital was fined $127,000 for the NICU's understaffing, as NBC New York illustrates; this happened after Noah's death but underscored ongoing staffing issues, despite new labor agreements promising improved conditions. The New York State Nurses Association has since indicated the health system faced further penalizations amounting to $2 million for understaffing across other departments. In defense, Mount Sinai maintains, as the narrative goes, that they are adequately resourced, attributing any staffing shortages to broader industry labor pool challenges.
Joe Ciaccio, another attorney for the Morton family, underscored that the parents "deserve a more thorough explanation for their son’s death" and believes Noah's medical records show a clear clinical deterioration that went unaddressed—"The simple fact that you had people within the hospital wanting to come forward to talk about this is clear evidence about how bad this must have been," Ciaccio told NBC New York. Meanwhile, other families shared their distress during the strike, Lora Ribas telling CNN how she remained at her prematurely born son's bedside, wary of leaving even briefly, mindful that the non-union nurses, despite efforts, lacked familiarity with her child's medical nuances, as detailed by The New York Post. Mount Sinai, subject to an ongoing investigation, has not publicly commented on the case since the lawsuit was announced.
