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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (March 25, 2019)
A3 THE DAILY ASTORIAN • MONDAY, MARCH 25, 2019 After baby’s death, mother SPRING BREAK KID SAFETY calls for changes at hospital Sponsored by: Your local janitorial and paper supply...and much more! Associated Press SALEM — An Ore- gon mother who watched her 7-week-old baby die of meningitis is calling for changes at a hospital from which the child was initially discharged. Ginger McCall said her daughter was dis- charged from Salem Hospi- tal’s emergency room with what staff said was a rou- tine infection, the Salem Statesman Journal reported. Hours later, the girl’s vital signs crashed. She died two days later. “My hope is that some- thing good can come out of this,” McCall said. “What I want the most is to raise awareness so this doesn’t happen to anyone else.” Salem Hospital offi - cials cited privacy con- cerns in declining com- ment on the death. “This is a heartbreaking loss, and Salem Health offers its deepest condolences,” offi - cials said in statement. McCall is an attorney and state offi cial who works as Oregon’s public records advocate. Her daughter, Evianna Rose Quintero-McCall, came down with a fever on March 15, McCall said. She cried a weak, moaning cry, which McCall later learned is a sign of Group B strep meningitis. McCall and her moth- er-in-law rushed the baby to Salem Hospital. She was given Tylenol and sent home. McCall wishes that she would have known to insist on a meningitis test, she said, or that she had driven to Oregon Health & Sci- ence University’s Doern- becher Children’s Hospi- tal in Portland, where the infection might have been recognized. Anna Reed/Statesman Journal Ginger McCall’s 7-week-old daughter, Evianna Quintero- McCall, died of meningitis after being discharged from the Salem Hospital emergency room with a fever. r your helmet. Don’t forget to wea ‘MY HOPE IS THAT SOMETHING GOOD CAN COME OUT OF THIS. WHAT I WANT THE MOST IS TO RAISE AWARENESS SO THIS DOESN’T HAPPEN TO ANYONE ELSE.’ Ginger McCall “There’s a stereotype of a hysterical, panicked, fi rst- time mom, and that proba- bly affected the situation,” McCall said. She told staff she tested positive for Strep B while pregnant. Expectant moth- ers are typically tested for the Group B strep infection and treated with antibiot- ics. However, the bacterial infection can be passed to babies. A few hours after leav- ing the emergency room, McCall brought her baby to her pediatrician. After the baby threw up, the doc- tor told her to rush back to the emergency room and he called to alert hospital staff. A fl urry of activity followed and the baby was transported by ambulance to Doernbe- cher Children’s Hospital. She died March 17. “They did their very best, but by the time she got there, it was just too late,” McCall said. According to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 4,100 cases of bacterial meningitis, and 500 deaths, are reported on average every year. Babies can contract men- ingitis at birth, through the air from people coughing and sneezing, or from con- taminated food. McCall wants parents to know the warning signs. “I hope they will strongly advocate for themselves and their children,” she said. “I hope they will appreciate every moment they have with their children.” Her main hope is for hos- pital staff to become better educated about meningi- tis symptoms, she said, and for hospitals to change their protocol. “I would like it for them to be trained to recognize the signs of this because it is so catastrophic and it happens so fast,” she said. “Every minute matters.” Native Plant Sale Stop, listen and look both ways while c Always use c rossing stree rosswalks wh ts. en available. er, get into their ng ra st a ith w re he Never go anyw ything from them. vehicle or accept an Stay in familiar public places. Go with friends or family. 2240 Commercial Street Astoria, Oregon 503.325.6362 www.WalterENelson.com Monday-Friday 8 am to 5 pm For either chores or fun, we’ve got you covered! Check out our page to stay updated on new products and events! SALES • SERVICE • PARTS APPAREL • ACCESSORIES • ATV’S MOTORCYCLES • NEW & USED When: April 13, 2019 9am—2pm Where: 34th and Leif Erikson behind the historic Customs House Pre-order forms are due by March 29 and can be picked up at our office. You can also re- quest one via email cswcd@clatsopswcd.org For more information, call 503-325-4571 1035 Marlin Ave., SE Warrenton 503-861-2636 Mon–Sat: 9am-6pm • Sunday: 9am-3pm LandDRaceTech.com
