#JusticeForCairo: Social media users up in arms after man claims hospital’s negligence led to death of newborn son
A Twitter thread detailing the tragic death of a newborn baby has gone viral and sparked accusations that the hospital involved may have provided suboptimal care due to the parents’ race.
Cornell Gunter wrote a series of messages chronicling alleged negligence and mistreatment by staff at the Orlando Health Winnie Palmer Hospital for Women & Babies, resulting in the death of his son Cairo shortly after birth.
He said that he and his fiancee Nicole checked in at the hospital on April 18 and told staff that their unborn child had not moved in ten hours, causing them to fear that he may be in distress.
According to Gunter, the attending nurse “completely disregarded” their concern that something may be wrong. They then waited for more than 30 minutes before staff concluded that the child was in danger and would have to be delivered immediately.
However, they were then informed that there wasn’t a vacant bed for Nicole, forcing the couple to wait even longer.
Once a bed opened up, Gunter claims that nurses cracked jokes as they prepared Nicole for delivery, showing insensitivity during such a trying moment. While doctors first reassured the couple that the unborn baby was doing well, they later determined that he had gone without a heartbeat for eight minutes, causing serious brain damage. The newborn survived delivery but later passed away.
Several executives at the hospital arrived to console the couple. Gunter said he and his fiancee expressed to them their “pain & hurt by the actions that led to our son passing away,” and said he asked if they had “ever watched their child die.”
Conveying his anguish and anger on Twitter, Gunter suggested that their experience at the hospital may have been racially motivated.
“If the nurses at Orlando Health would’ve listened to my fiance then none of this would’ve happened. Treat and respect black mothers who come in and express fear and worries. Black women are neglected and never treated equally in hospitals,” he wrote.
He said that he would seek “justice” for his son’s death as part of a larger issue of discrimination in healthcare.
“This kind of stuff happens all around the world but black women are silenced and their cries aren’t cared for. PROTECT BLACK WOMEN. PROTECT BLACK CHILDREN,” Gunter tweeted.
AND WORRIES. BLACK WOMEN ARE NEGLECTED AND NEVER TREATED EQUALLY IN HOSPITALS. Yesterday, a nurse came into Nicole’s room and said “having a baby is fun isn’t it”. That broke my fiancé. Our son isn’t in here. There’s no baby bed or anything. So WTF.
— Cornell. (@CornellGunter) April 20, 2021
When contacted by media, the hospital said that the health and safety of its patients is its “top priority,” while adding that federal privacy laws prevented them from discussing specific cases.
Gunter’s story spread across Twitter, causing the hashtag #JusticeForCairo to trend.
Many social media users argued that “racism” had led to the newborn’s death.
The racism in the medical field has led to the passing of a baby, because the workers of @orlandohealth. You’ll never be forgiven for disregarding a baby’s health condition, and the ones responsible directly, you’ll burn in hell. #JusticeForCairo
— ᴇᴍʀᴇ. (@bngtnswfts) April 22, 2021
Others demanded accountability for the hospital. It’s still unclear whether Gunter and his fiancee plan to take legal action.
Not everyone was ready to get out their pitchforks, however. Some asked for more information about how the hospital had been negligent, noting that they weren’t ready to “cancel” a healthcare provider, especially amid the Covid-19 crisis.
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