A judge who had previously ruled in favor of Seattle Children's Hospital's request to seal records concerning recurrent mold issues changed his mind, ruling that health department files must be publicly released, according to King 5.
King 5 sought to obtain public records detailing Seattle Children's and public health agencies' responses to over a dozen mold-related infections and seven patient deaths since 2001. Seattle Children's filed a lawsuit in February to block the release of the records.
Judge Ken Schubert changed his mind after hearing statements from two public health employees: Jeff Duchin, MD, and Dr. Meagan Kay. The physicians both said they disagreed with the hospital's claim that the documents are part of its "quality improvement" program and are therefore protected from public release.
Mr. Schubert scolded Public Health of Seattle and King County for staying silent for several months. He also said he may unseal records he previously ruled upon.
Click here for a timeline of all mold-related events at Seattle Children's.'