Teen left at Omaha hospital under safe haven law
For the third time in about a week, an older child was left at a hospital under Nebraska’s safe haven law.
A 13-year-old girl was dropped off at Immanuel Medical Center in Omaha on Saturday and is now in state custody, according to the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services.
A spokesperson for Immanuel said the hospital had a “safe haven” situation but declined to comment further.
Todd Landry, director of the HHS division for Children and Family Services, said there was no indication of danger or harm to the girl when she was left.
“In that respect,” he said, “I would say that there is a similarity between this case and the ones from last week.”
On Sept. 13, an 11-year-old boy was left at Immanuel and a 15-year-old boy was left at BryanLGH Medical Center West in Lincoln.
As of mid-week, Landry said, the 11-year-old remained at the Omaha hospital and the 15-year-old was staying at a shelter in Lincoln.
The safe haven law went into effect in July. Sponsored by Sen. Arnie Stuthman of Platte Center, the law allows anyone to leave a child at any state-licensed hospital without fear of prosecution. The law was intended to protect infants, Stuthman has said.
In a compromise while terms of the law were being debated, the measure was expanded to include the word “child’’ but didn’t define the word.
Landry said the three recent situations are clearly not what the Legislature intended. The intent, he said, was for “safe havens” to act as safety mechanisms for children in danger of being harmed.
“This is not the intent of the Legislature,” he said. “This is not the intent of the law.”
Stuthman said a week ago that he intended to watch closely what happens with the law. After hearing of the third incident Saturday, he said he is more adamant that something will need to be done.
“It is very disturbing to me that we have had three … in a week,” Stuthman said Saturday. “It really concerns me.
“We need to take a serious look at why are these children being dropped off,” he said. “Maybe there is a need for children to get a better place.
“I just hope we don’t have this as a weekly occurrence.”
Landry encouraged parents to look for other available resources in dealing with their children. His office has been able to manage the three recent cases, he said, but their effects on the children involved is severe.
“If, in fact, they (parents) believe it is an issue of a dire emergency, call 911,” he said. “Call the police. The police are well adept and skilled at being able to de-escalate situations.”
Reach Zach Pluhacek at 473-7306 or zpluhacek@journalstar.com.
A 13-year-old girl was dropped off at Immanuel Medical Center in Omaha on Saturday and is now in state custody, according to the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services.
A spokesperson for Immanuel said the hospital had a “safe haven” situation but declined to comment further.
Todd Landry, director of the HHS division for Children and Family Services, said there was no indication of danger or harm to the girl when she was left.
“In that respect,” he said, “I would say that there is a similarity between this case and the ones from last week.”
On Sept. 13, an 11-year-old boy was left at Immanuel and a 15-year-old boy was left at BryanLGH Medical Center West in Lincoln.
As of mid-week, Landry said, the 11-year-old remained at the Omaha hospital and the 15-year-old was staying at a shelter in Lincoln.
The safe haven law went into effect in July. Sponsored by Sen. Arnie Stuthman of Platte Center, the law allows anyone to leave a child at any state-licensed hospital without fear of prosecution. The law was intended to protect infants, Stuthman has said.
In a compromise while terms of the law were being debated, the measure was expanded to include the word “child’’ but didn’t define the word.
Landry said the three recent situations are clearly not what the Legislature intended. The intent, he said, was for “safe havens” to act as safety mechanisms for children in danger of being harmed.
“This is not the intent of the Legislature,” he said. “This is not the intent of the law.”
Stuthman said a week ago that he intended to watch closely what happens with the law. After hearing of the third incident Saturday, he said he is more adamant that something will need to be done.
“It is very disturbing to me that we have had three … in a week,” Stuthman said Saturday. “It really concerns me.
“We need to take a serious look at why are these children being dropped off,” he said. “Maybe there is a need for children to get a better place.
“I just hope we don’t have this as a weekly occurrence.”
Landry encouraged parents to look for other available resources in dealing with their children. His office has been able to manage the three recent cases, he said, but their effects on the children involved is severe.
“If, in fact, they (parents) believe it is an issue of a dire emergency, call 911,” he said. “Call the police. The police are well adept and skilled at being able to de-escalate situations.”
Reach Zach Pluhacek at 473-7306 or zpluhacek@journalstar.com.
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