Pediatrician: 'Crazy' that Pa. mom diagnosed with medical child abuse
Lehigh Valley Health Network said it can't comment on specific cases due to privacy laws.
The Action News Investigative Team is learning new information about a doctor and her team accused of over-diagnosing medical child abuse.
Now, more families and even fellow medical professionals are raising concerns.
Raeanne Richardson and her husband told the investigative team they lost custody of their baby for two weeks this summer.
A doctor accused Richardson of Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy (MSP), which is a form of child abuse where the caretaker of a child either makes up fake symptoms to make a child appear sick or causes them to be sick.
Richardson described her son, Wyatt, now 9 months old, as a vibrant baby full of joy. But she said in late July, his condition seemed dire.
"He's vomiting and he just kept getting worse," she recalled.
So they took him to their pediatrician, Dr. Stanley Blondek.
Dr. Blondek ordered Wyatt to be taken to a Scranton emergency room near their home. He said blood work found that the child had two viruses.
But that hospital didn't have a pediatrics unit, so doctors sent Wyatt to Lehigh Valley Hospital in Allentown.
"All of sudden on Saturday, I get a call from the parents panicking, that they're accusing them of making up the stories," said Dr. Blondek.
The family said Dr. Debra Esernio-Jenssen, who had been overseeing the Child Advocacy Center at the Lehigh Valley Health Network, accused Richardson of having Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy.
SEE ALSO | Doctor accused of misdiagnosing families with rare form of medical child abuse reassigned
"That I was fabricating his symptoms for, like, unnecessary tests and attention," said Richardson. "Like, just lying about them."
"I saw somebody that was sick, this patient needed to be admitted to the hospital, they go to the hospital, and then all of a sudden the parents get accused of something that to me, was crazy," said Dr. Blondek.
"They came in with security guards and made me leave," added Richardson.
An angered Dr. Blondek said he called Dr. Esernio-Jenssen, looking for an explanation of her diagnosis. He said she was very aggressive and even touted her credentials as an expert, but then he said she made an astonishing claim.
"She actually told me that she thinks the parents injected dirt into the kid's IV, which I totally went like crazy on over the phone," Dr. Blondek said.
He recalled asking Dr. Esernio-Jenssen, "What did they do, carry around syringes?"
Dr. Esernio-Jenssen and Lehigh Valley Health Network have been the subject of numerous protests in recent weeks after Lehigh County Controller Mark Pinsley first came to Action News and then went public with a report, alleging systemic over-diagnosing of Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy in Lehigh and Northampton counties.
READ | Munchausen syndrome by proxy diagnoses under question in Lehigh County
He said several families blame Dr. Esernio-Jenssen and her team.
So far, Dr. Esernio-Jenssen hasn't commented.
But the Lehigh Valley Health Network released a statement in August defending her, and said in part that child protective medicine is "often the unfortunate target of emotionally driven and unsubstantiated criticism."
A week later, the hospital announced that after a year-long search, it named a new director of the Child Advocacy Center responsible for investigating child abuse.
As for Dr. Esernio-Jenssen, the statement said she was "providing care part-time in other network locations."
"I just don't know how Lehigh themselves can sleep at night," said Richardson. "Knowing they're doing this to innocent families with little to no proof."
After losing custody of little Wyatt, Lackawanna County Youth and Family Services cleared the Richardsons of any wrongdoing.
Wyatt is once again back home, healthy and happy. But Richardson said the emotional scars remain.
"You find yourself sitting home, you know, looking at an empty crib, looking at baby toys that are not being touched," she said. "It's just, it's nightmarish. It's cruel."
Lehigh Valley Health Network said it can't comment on specific cases due to privacy laws, but that a multilayered process is in place to ensure the safety of children.
Full statement from the Lehigh Valley Health Network:
"The safety and protection of children is of the utmost importance and the reason the CAC exists - it's a thorough and multilayered approach to evaluating suspected cases of child abuse or neglect. The Center serves Lehigh County's most vulnerable children and their families through a multidisciplinary community partnership that provides evaluations, treatment, and a coordinated response to promote justice. The center adheres to the National Children's Alliance model and our caregivers provide a thorough medical evaluation, which is taken into account with other evidence presented to the judicial system or Child Protective Services. Our caregivers do not make any final determinations about guardianship, nor is any final determination about guardianship made unilaterally, which is why the coordinated, multilayered process we have in place is critical to ensuring the safety and protection of children."
Full statement from Lehigh Valley Health Network released on September 6, 2023:
"Sarah Kleinle, DO, was named Medical Director of the John Van Brakle Child Advocacy Center (CAC) after a nearly year-long national search. Dr. Kleinle officially started her new position earlier this month.
Dr. Kleinle will lead the team of physicians responsible for performing medical evaluations for children who are referred to the CAC. The CAC serves Lehigh County's most vulnerable children and their families through a multidisciplinary community partnership that provides evaluations, treatment, and a coordinated response to promote justice.
Dr. Kleinle completed her medical degree at Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, her residency in pediatrics at Crozer-Chester Medical Center, and her fellowship in child abuse pediatrics at Cooper Hospital-University Medical Center.
Dr. Kleinle assumed the role formerly held by Debra D. Esernio-Jenssen, MD, who dedicated many years of service at the CAC.
Dr. Esernio-Jenssen will be providing care part-time in other network locations."
Full statement from Lehigh Valley Health Network released on August 21, 2023:
"There is no greater responsibility than ensuring the safety and protection of children. Lehigh Valley Health Network (LVHN) is diligent when it comes to caring for children at the John Van Brakle Child Advocacy Center (CAC). The center exists to serve Lehigh County's most vulnerable children and their families through a community partnership that includes the District Attorney's Office, Lehigh County Office of Children & Youth Services, the Allentown Police Department, and the Crime Victims Council of the Lehigh Valley.
Due to the sensitive nature of their work, physicians specializing in child protective medicine are often the unfortunate target of emotionally driven and unsubstantiated criticism. The Lehigh County Controller has no jurisdiction over the CAC, nor the clinical credentials to conduct a review of a clinician or the services rendered by a clinician - and we disagree wholeheartedly with the controller's conclusions being shared with the media.
Here are the facts:
1. Dr. Debra Esernio-Jenssen, MD, is board-certified in child protective medicine. She does not initiate child abuse cases. Cases of suspected abuse are referred to the CAC through the state reporting system. At the CAC, when Dr. Esernio-Jenssen and her team evaluate a case, they collaborate with the child's medical team. The vast majority of the time, they do not find evidence of child abuse, which is consistent with national averages.
2. LVHN clinicians do not unilaterally make the final determination of whether child protective services intervention is appropriate in cases of alleged child abuse or neglect.
3. A medical examination is one component among many factors, including evidence, photos, and witnesses that are considered by the judicial system or child protective services, who ultimately make the final decision about protective services.
4. The Controller ignores the fact that Munchausen's by Proxy perpetrators can have more than one victim.
Had the controller followed the typical audit process, we would have provided these details.
Our community relies on us to heal, comfort, and care for them, especially in their most critical time of need. That remains our focus.
It takes courage for child abuse victims and their families to come forward. We encourage anyone who has concerns about child abuse or neglect to contact law enforcement or ChildLine (1-800-932-0313)."
