BURST
Police are investigating after an unknown woman walked into a Surrey hospital, removed her shirt and held three different infants in the neonatal intensive care unit.
According to Surrey police, it happened on Oct. 28 around 6:55 a.m. and the incident is being treated as an assault.
After an initial investigation, police allege a woman entered Surrey Memorial Hospital and “gained entry” to the unit, where she then took her shirt off and “made skin-to-skin contact” with a baby. The woman repeated this with two other infants.
The three babies are not related to each other or the woman.
Sgt. Tige Pollock said a staff member noticed the woman and contacted hospital security, who removed the woman from the property. Surrey police were called later that afternoon.
Skin-to-skin contact is when a naked baby is held by their bare-chested parent. It is recommended for at least the first hour after a baby is born, to help them adjust to life outside the womb.
It is also encouraged for babies requiring neonatal intensive care, as it has proven to promote oxygen saturation and reduce stress levels.
No details were available on how the woman got into the unit or if she spoke to anyone after entering.
“I’m not exactly sure what she did once she was in the unit,” said Pollock on Friday. “Obviously that’s all part of the investigation and the evidence that officers will put forward if she does get charged.”
Dr. Marietta Van Den Berg, a psychologist and site medical director for Surrey Memorial, said the incident is “highly unusual” and referred to as a “never event,” with protocols in place that are meant to ensure such events never happen.
“It’s never supposed to happen and we’re just grateful that the babies are safe and unharmed,” she said. “We apologize for the distress because, as you can imagine, as a family who has a new baby, and the new baby is in a neonatal ICU, this kind of thing just adds to the stress, which is awful and not what we want.”
Van Den Berg said the incident came down to a “screening failure” and not a security issue.
Families entering the unit are screened: They must have a wristband and they must identify themselves, the patient they are visiting, and what room they’re in before being buzzed in. Anyone other than the parents require permission from the baby’s parents before visiting in addition to the screening steps.
“Was this person slipping in behind another person? This has led to us enhancing our screening and increasing the vigilance of our teams,” said Van Den Berg, who said frequent reminders are being issued to staff to ensure screening protocols are followed.
She also noted that each of the unit’s individual rooms are visible from the central nursing station and that the babies are under constant care.
Investigators have spoken to the families of the babies, interviewed hospital staff and reviewed security footage but have been unable to identify the assault suspect. Police are releasing an image in hopes the public can help identify her.
She is described as a white woman, between the ages of 30 to 40, about 5-foot-2 with a heavy build. She was last seen wearing a black hoodie with the words “Essentials Department” on the chest, dirty grey sweatpants, cream-coloured sandals, black socks, and carrying a camouflage patterned jacket.
Anyone who recognizes the woman is asked to contact Surrey police at 604-599-0502 and cite file number 25-94777 (SP).