Mercy Regional Medical Center publicly apologized Tuesday for losing a stillborn baby's remains, writing they "deeply regret the occurrence of this event."
Mercy Regional in Lorain isn't the first hospital to lose a child. Recently, hospitals in Minnesota and Cincinnati investigated similar claims.
Maxwell Mehlman, Director of the Law-Medical Center at Case Western University's Law School, says these kinds of mistakes are rare, but they do happen.
"To have the remains lost in this way, the thought of them accidentally put down the laundry shoot? It's damaging," Mehlman said. "Somebody made a terrible mistake. And I'm sure they feel badly."
Between 2010 and 2014, there were an average of 922 still births per year in the state of Ohio, according to records.
There are no federal regulations on the labeling of fetal remains, but there are policies in place in regards to Medicare and Medicaid.
Mercy Regional did not respond to a request for a copy of their policy.
According to University Hospitals, following a delivery, a stillborn baby can stay with its mother or can be transferred to the morticians' office.
A spokeswoman with the Ohio Department of Health said they are investigating Mercy Regional following the incident.
Mercy Regional issued the following statement Tuesday:
Mercy extends its sincerest condolences to the family. We are deeply sorry for the additional distress arising from this incident. Mercy deeply regrets the occurrence of this event and is working to remedy the situation. With profound empathy for the family’s feelings, we are continuing to investigate all aspects of this matter. Though it does not alleviate the pain of this incident, we have implemented revised processes to prevent a reoccurrence.
