California

California Toddler Declared Brain Dead Moved to New Hospital

A Vacaville, California toddler whose family waged a court battle to keep him on life support after he was declared brain dead has been transferred to a hospital outside the U.S., the family said.

Attorney Kevin Snider declined to release the name of the hospital or its location, citing the privacy of 2-year-old Israel Stinson's family.

The boy's mother Jonee Fonseca said in a posting Sunday on the website gofundme.com that the facility was outside the U.S. She said a neurologist and pediatric specialist who examined Israel at the new hospital determined he was not brain dead.

The boy was receiving nutrients and was on a treatment plan, she said in the post on the fundraising site.

Israel went to Kaiser Permanente Medical Center in Roseville on April 11 after treatment at the University of California, Davis Medical Center following what appeared to be an asthma attack, according to court documents. At UC Davis, he went into cardiac arrest and was later found to be brain dead.

Two more evaluations at Kaiser Permanente also determined he was brain dead, Kaiser Permanente attorneys said.

Fonseca had been looking to move the child out of Kaiser Permanente, where doctors said his condition wouldn't improve. She said Israel had moved his body in response to her touch and voice, and she believed he was still alive as long as his heart was beating.

A federal appeals court on Friday gave Fonseca more time to find another facility for Israel, ordering Kaiser Permanente to continue life support while it considered his mother's appeal.

A lower court had extended life support only to the end of the business day Friday. Snider said Fonseca's appeal is now moot.

Kaiser Permanente confirmed in a statement that Israel was no longer at the hospital.

"Our primary goals have always been to offer our support to Israel's family and follow the courts' direction," said Chris Palkowski, chief of staff at Kaiser Permanente in Roseville. "We hope this transfer brings peace for Israel's family."

Fonseca filed a lawsuit in state court to prevent Kaiser Permanente from removing Israel from life support. A judge ruled against her last month.

Fonseca filed a separate federal lawsuit, arguing that state law doesn't allow patients to bring in their own doctors to challenge the finding of death, and that violates due-process rights under the U.S. Constitution.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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