Wikipedia

AdventHealth Wauchula

AdventHealth Wauchula is a non-profit hospital in Wauchula, Florida, United States owned by AdventHealth. In 1988, the hospital received national attention after it was revealed that two babies were switched at birth there in 1978.[2][3] In 2019, AdventHealth Wauchula received a bomb threat that forced it to evacuate.[4][5]

AdventHealth Wauchula
AdventHealth
Map
Geography
Location735 South 5th Avenue, Wauchula, Florida, United States
Coordinates27°32′22″N 81°48′26″W / 27.53944°N 81.80722°W / 27.53944; -81.80722
Organization
Care systemPrivate hospital
FundingNon-profit hospital
TypeGeneral hospital
Religious affiliationSeventh-day Adventist Church
Services
Beds25[1]
HelipadNo
History
Former name(s)Hardee Memorial Hospital
Florida Hospital Memorial Hospital
Opened1970 and June 27, 2016
Closed2017
Links
Websitewww.adventhealth.com/hospital/adventhealth-wauchula
ListsHospitals in Florida

History

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In late July 1992, Hardee Memorial Hospital filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection with the United States Bankruptcy Court in Tampa.[6][7] The Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection had nothing to do with the baby-swap incident.[8] Also in July 1992, the only physician who worked at Hardee Memorial Hospital quit their job and the hospital closed later that month.[9]

On June 27, 2016, the hospital had a groundbreaking ceremony for a new 50,000-square-foot, 25 bed hospital for $32 million. It would have a 15 bed emergency department and extensive therapy rooms. It opened 2017, on U.S. Route 17 about 0.75 miles (1.21 km) to the northeast.[10][11]

On January 2, 2019, Florida Hospital Wauchula rebranded to AdventHealth Wauchula.[12][13] On November 8, the hospital received a bomb threat forcing it to evacuate all of its patients and employees. First responders from Desoto County, Hardee County, Highlands County, Manatee County, Polk County, Florida Highway Patrol and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission all responded to a 911 call from the hospital. But they could not find a bomb in the facility.[14][15][16]

The United States government required all hospitals to have their chargemaster on its website, by January 1, 2021.[17] In a 2022, survey most hospitals in Florida, including AdventHealth Wauchula, were found to have failed to comply with the new law;[17][18] the hospital came into full compliance with the law in February 2023.[19]

Baby-swap incident and aftermath

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In December 1978, babies Arlena Twigg and Kimberly Michelle May, born at Hardee Memorial Hospital, were inadvertently switched, unknown to their parents at the time.[20]

In early September 1988, Ernest and Regina Twigg of Sebring, Florida, filed a lawsuit against Hardee Memorial Hospital and four of its employees in a United States District Court in Tampa for $100 million.[21][22][23] They did this after a genetic test on Arlena, before she died in August 1988 from a congenital heart defect, revealed that she was not their daughter.[21][23] The Twiggs asked the Federal Bureau of Investigation to investigate Hardee Memorial Hospital, which they did, finding that no federal crime had been committed.[21][22][23]

In 1989, the Twiggs filed a lawsuit against Robert Mays of Sarasota, Florida to seek custody of Kimberly Mays; after almost a year they agreed to drop their custody lawsuit if a genetic test was done on Kimberly. Originally Robert Mays had refused to submit Kimberly to a genetic test.[24][25] When the genetic test was carried out on Robert and Kimberly by Johns Hopkins University, it found that Kimberly was, to 99.9 percent probability, the daughter of the Twiggs.[23][24][25]

In 1991, Hardee Memorial Hospital agreed to settle the lawsuit for $3.5 million to $7 million.[8][26][27] Also in late August 1992, the hospital agreed to settle a lawsuit by Robert Mays and daughter Kimberly Mays for $6.6 million.[8][28] The money would be paid out from the Florida Patient's Compensation Fund, which was created by Florida hospitals to pay for lawsuits by patients.[8]

In late August 1993, Kimberly Mays successfully divorced the Twiggs, when Circuit Judge Stephen Dakan refused to order her to see them.[29][30] In late November 1993, the Twiggs asked for a criminal probe into the baby-swap.[31][32] They did this after Patsy Webb, a former nurses' aid from Hardee Memorial Hospital, had said that a physician told her to switch Arlena and Kimberly. And that she had refused the request of the physician and that the following day they had been switched.[33] Later Robert May had been investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and took a polygraph test, which he passed.[31]

No criminal probe was planned, since the claim by Patsy Webb was considered a tall tale.[34] During the custody hearing for Kimberly, Webb said in court that she knew nothing of the switch.[33]

In March 1994, Kimberly Mays ran away from home and was found later by Sarasota police at the YMCA, she later moved in with the Twiggs.[35][36][37] In early May 1994, the Twiggs, Robert Mays and Kimberly were back in the courtroom of Circuit Judge Stephen Dakan. He overturned his August 1993 decision, granting both the Twiggs and Robert Mays guardianship of Kimberly.[38][39]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "AdventHealth Wauchula". US Acute Care Solutions. Retrieved July 23, 2024.
  2. ^ "Switched at birth: In 1988, a Southwest Florida calamity drew national attention". Sarasota Herald Tribune. September 8, 2019. Retrieved July 25, 2024.
  3. ^ Effron, Lauren; Muldofsky, Peri (November 27, 2019). "Kim Mays, biological family involved in switched-at-birth scandal, custody battle describe navigating troubled times". ABC News. Retrieved July 29, 2024.
  4. ^ "Bomb threat prompts evacuation at AdventHealth Hospital in Hardee County". WFTS-TV. November 8, 2019. Retrieved July 23, 2024.
  5. ^ "Hospital in Hardee County evacuated following bomb threat". WWSB. November 8, 2019. Retrieved July 29, 2024.
  6. ^ Stengle, Bernice; Good, Jeffrey (July 31, 1992). "Baby-swap hospital files for bankruptcy". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved July 24, 2024.
  7. ^ "Hospital In The Baby-swap Case Files For Bankruptcy". Orlando Sentinel. August 1, 1992. Retrieved July 24, 2024.
  8. ^ a b c d "Hospital Swaps $6.6 Million To Settle Baby-Switch Suit". Deseret News. September 22, 1992. Retrieved July 24, 2024.
  9. ^ Stengle, Bernice; Bell, Beverly (September 14, 1992). "The hospital in the country has fallen ill". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved July 23, 2024.
  10. ^ "Florida Hospital breaks ground for new facility in Wauchula". June 27, 2016. Archived from the original on 2016-06-28. .
  11. ^ "Florida Hospital Wauchula breaks ground on $32M hospital". Becker's Hospital Review. June 27, 2016. Retrieved July 23, 2024.
  12. ^ Ross, Nikki (January 2, 2019). "Florida Hospital is now AdventHealth". The Daytona Beach News-Journal. Retrieved July 23, 2024.
  13. ^ "Florida Hospital is now AdventHealth". Florida Trend. January 2, 2019. Retrieved July 23, 2024.
  14. ^ "All-clear given after bomb threat forced evacuations at Wauchula Advent Health". WTVT. November 8, 2019. Retrieved July 23, 2024.
  15. ^ "Patients evacuated from hospital after bomb threat; radio station also threatened". WTSP. November 8, 2019. Retrieved July 23, 2024.
  16. ^ "Bomb threats to hospital and radio station being investigates in Hardee County". WFLA-TV. November 8, 2019. Retrieved July 23, 2024.
  17. ^ a b "New report shows Tampa Bay hospitals not following medical transparency law". WFTS-TV. February 23, 2022. Retrieved July 24, 2024.
  18. ^ Miller, Daylina (August 12, 2022). "Report shows majority of Florida hospitals are not complying with the federal price transparency law". Health News Florida. Retrieved July 24, 2024.
  19. ^ Chavez, Juan (February 10, 2023). "Find out if Tampa Bay hospitals are hiding costs of medical care". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved July 24, 2024.
  20. ^ "Facing Facts: How Dad Told Girl She Wasn't His". Chicago Tribune. November 23, 1989. Retrieved July 24, 2024.
  21. ^ a b c "Wrong-Tot Suit Hinges On Genetic 'Fingerprint'". The Morning Call. September 8, 1988. Retrieved July 24, 2024.
  22. ^ a b "Nine Years After Births, F.B.I. Investigates Baby Swap Case". The New York Times. September 22, 1988. Retrieved July 24, 2024.
  23. ^ a b c d "Tests Prove Babies Were Swapped". Deseret News. November 20, 1989. Retrieved July 26, 2024.
  24. ^ a b "Tests confirm 10-year-old-mix-up". Post-Bulletin. November 20, 1989. Retrieved July 25, 2024.
  25. ^ a b "Tests Prove Wrong Couple Got Kimberly". Orlando Sentinel. November 20, 1989. Retrieved July 25, 2024.
  26. ^ Good, Jeffrey; Wolfe, Debbie (July 30, 1991). "$7-million ends baby swap suit". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved July 24, 2024.
  27. ^ "The Twigg Settlement". Orlando Sentinel. September 28, 1991. Retrieved July 24, 2024.
  28. ^ Vielmetti, Bruce (August 19, 1992). "Hospital, father in baby-swap settle suit". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved July 24, 2024.
  29. ^ Rohter, Larry (August 19, 1993). "Florida Girl, 14, Wins Right Not to See Biological Family". The New York Times. Retrieved July 29, 2024.
  30. ^ Harrison, Eric (August 19, 1993). "Court Will Not Force Girl to See Birth Parents". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved July 29, 2024.
  31. ^ a b "Parents Ask Criminal Probe In Florida Baby Swap Case". Los Angeles Times. November 25, 1993. Retrieved July 26, 2024.
  32. ^ "Criminal Probe Sought In Claim Of Baby Swap". Deseret News. November 25, 1993. Retrieved July 26, 2024 – via Associated Press.
  33. ^ a b "Florida Nurse's Aide Tells Of 1978 Baby Swap". The Washington Post. November 23, 1993. Retrieved July 26, 2024.
  34. ^ "No probe planned into baby swap tale". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved July 26, 2024.
  35. ^ "Girl in Custody Dispute Leaves the Father She Fought". The New York Times. March 3, 1994. Retrieved July 29, 2014 – via Associated Press.
  36. ^ Clary, Mike (March 10, 1994). "Kimberly Mays Moves in With Birth Parents: Family Teen-ager switched as newborn asks to stay with couple she told court she never wanted to see again. 'Personal difficulties' cited". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved July 29, 2024.
  37. ^ Murphy, Chuck; Christian, Nichole; Good, Jeffrey (March 10, 1994). "Kim Mays moves in with parents she 'divorced'". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved July 29, 2024.
  38. ^ "Judge Finalizes Parent Switch By Florida Girl". The New York Times. May 15, 1994. Retrieved July 29, 2024.
  39. ^ "Judge signs order giving Kim Mays three guardians". Tampa Bay Times. May 15, 1994. Retrieved July 29, 2024.
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