Jackson Memorial Hospital Nurse Sierra Samuels Fired After Posting Mocking Photo of Newborn With Birth Defect

A now-terminated Miami nurse posted photos of a newborn baby with congenital disabilities on Instagram.

According to Fox News Miami, Sierra Samuels took to the social media platform to make fun of the infant, writing, “My night was going great then boom. Your intestines posed to be inside, not outside, baby!”

To add insult to injury, the jacka** nurse hashtagged the photo #gastroschisis. The CDC defined gastroschisis as “a birth defect of the abdominal (belly) wall. The baby’s intestines are found outside of the baby’s body, exiting through a hole beside the belly button. The hole can be small or large, and sometimes other organs, such as the stomach and liver, can also be found outside of the baby’s body.”

The website goes on to explain the gravity of the condition.

“Gastroschisis occurs early during pregnancy when the muscles that make up the baby’s abdominal wall do not form correctly. A hole occurs which allows the intestines and other organs to extend outside of the body, usually to the right side of the belly button. Because the intestines are not covered in a protective sac and are exposed to the amniotic fluid, the intestines can become irritated, causing them to shorten, twist, or swell.”

Samuels not only violated Jackson Memorial Hospital’s privacy policy– she violated HIPAA mandates. The privacy rule “establishes national standards to protect individuals’ medical records and other personal health information and applies to health plans, health care clearinghouses, and those health care providers that conduct certain health care transactions electronically. The Rule requires appropriate safeguards to protect the privacy of personal health information, and sets limits and conditions on the uses and disclosures that may be made of such information without patient authorization.”

Jackson Memorial launched an investigation regarding the egregious abuse of the newborn and fired Samuels on September 30.

A representative for the health care system released a statement regarding Samuels’ behavior.

“Employees who violate these privacy rules, despite being educated, are subject to disciplinary action including suspension or termination. As soon as we learned of this potential breach, we immediately placed this employee under administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation.”

According to CBS Miami, Samuels started working for the hospital in 2016. The news outlet also reported that the nurse posted photos from the job regularly on Instagram to her 600 followers.