January 27, 2006

ROMNEY APPOINTS PANEL TO REVIEW HALEIGH POUTRE CASE

Governor Mitt Romney today appointed a distinguished three-member expert panel to review the Haleigh Poutre case and make recommendations that will in the future help the Department of Social Services avoid the failures that occurred with her care.

The panel will be chaired by Christine Ferguson, former commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Public Health and the current President and CEO of FirstFocus, a national organization to ensure our children are healthy, safe and have real opportunities to succeed.

From 1995 to 2001, Ferguson ran the Rhode Island Department of Human Services under then-Governor Lincoln Almond. Prior to that, she served as counsel and deputy chief of staff to the late U.S. Senator John Chafee (R-RI), where she was involved in many changes in national health care and social service programs and policies.

The two other individuals appointed by Governor Romney are:

Dr. Mary Anne Badaracco, MD, a graduate of Harvard Medical School. Chief of the Department of Psychiatry at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and the President of the Massachusetts Psychiatric Society. Dr. Badaracco is also Bullard Associate Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School.

Dr. Jeffrey Burns, Chief of the Division of Critical Care Medicine and Co-Chair of the Ethics Committee at Children’s Hospital Boston and an Associate Professor of Anesthesia (Pediatrics) at Harvard Medical School. Board certified in Pediatrics and Pediatric Critical Care Medicine, Dr. Burns is also Director of the Medical/Surgical Intensive Care Unit at Children’s and a member of the American Academy of Pediatrics Committee on Bioethics.

Romney said the panel will review Haleigh’s case history to determine the timeliness and appropriateness of services that she received, as well as decisions that led DSS to seek removal of her life support through the courts. The 11-year-old Westfield girl had been hospitalized in Springfield in a comatose state since Sept. 11, 2005, but was transferred to a rehabilitation facility yesterday after she began to show signs of improvement.

“I am heartened by the reported improvements in Haleigh’s condition, and I want to express my appreciation to our volunteer panel of experts for their willingness to provide us not just with answers, but with changes that will result in better care and protection for children,” said Romney.

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