Editorial: Girl’s death warrants a full report

Thursday, Nov. 13, 2003 | 8:38 a.m.

A grieving family is asking questions of University Medical Center and it should receive answers. On Oct. 15 two 13-year-old girls were struck by a car as they crossed a street near Robindale Road and Torrey Pines Drive in the southwestern part of the valley. The driver was passing another car whose driver had seen the girls and had slowed down. The tragedy resulted in both girls being admitted to UMC in critical condition. One of them died at the hospital on Oct. 21. The other girl, Tabatha Speas, was discharged from the hospital Nov. 2. She returned the next day and was again released Nov. 4. She died at home early on the morning of Nov. 6.

Before the funeral services for Tabitha on Tuesday, her father, Michael Speas, talked to a Las Vegas Sun reporter. "I wonder if the hospital did let her out too soon," he said. "I don't know if I'll ever have any answers." Earlier, the Sun had spoken with a neighbor of the family, who is a registered nurse. The nurse, who had checked on Tabitha after her release from the hospital, told the Sun that the girl had said, "They shouldn't have let me out. It wasn't time." The nurse also said that the family had told her they were without health insurance and that they had not been given any discharge instructions for follow-up treatment or rehabilitation. The nurse told the Sun, "There are just too many questions that have to be answered by the hospital."

The county-run hospital has a good medical reputation and there is no reason to disbelieve its spokesperson when she says that all patients are given the best quality of care and that the lack of health insurance plays no role in the decision to discharge a patient. But given the scope of this tragedy, the parents and the public deserve more than a generalized statement from the hospital's spokesperson.

We think County Manager Thom Reilly should direct the hospital to conduct a thorough review of Tabitha Speas' admission, medical treatment and release. The family members should not have to wonder for the rest of their lives about the quality of care Tabitha received. And the public should not be left with unresolved questions either.