Danville, Pa.-based Geisinger has reached a settlement with the families of infants who died or were injured as a result of contracting bacterial infections while in the neonatal intensive care unit at Geisinger Medical Center, according to the Times Leader.
Pseudomonas bacteria killed three infants and sickened five others in the hospital's NICU last year. The bacteria was traced to equipment used to measure donor breast milk.
The families of the babies sued Geisinger in fall 2019, and lawyers representing the families announced July 15 that a settlement has been reached.
Though the exact terms of the settlement are not publicly available, lawyers said the settlement includes monetary compensation and the health system accepting responsibility for the deaths, according to the report.
"In addition to the monetary compensation, the families through this litigation achieved something extraordinary, which is that a major health system has admitted what happened and accepted full responsibility," Matt Casey, a lawyer representing the families, told the Times Leader.
Regarding the settlement, Geisinger President and CEO Jaewon Ryu, MD, issued the following statement to the Times Leader:
"Geisinger recognizes Mr. Casey's advocacy on behalf of these families and we apologize to each of the families involved," he said. "The loss of a child is tragic, and this settlement can never replace these young children, however we believe we have taken the steps necessary to prevent future infections and spare other families from this loss."