Nurse Pleads Guilty to Abusing Nine Infants

A former nurse at a Madison, Wisconsin hospital has pleaded guilty to hurting nine infants.

According to KCCI, police started investigating UnityPoint Health-Meriter Hospital's infant intensive care unit in February of 2018 after receiving reports of infant injuries. Babies suffered injuries such as broken ribs, bruising, broken legs, and a fractured skull. Shortly after the investigation began, the hospital suspended nurse Christopher Kaphaem on Februrary 8, 2018. And after more than 14 years of work, state regulators suspended his license following the investigation.

Kaphaem didn't seem to have much of a defense either. KCCI reports that the 44-year-old former nurse pleaded guilty on Monday to "every one of the 19 felony counts he faced". And the Wisconsin State Journal stated that the charging documents gave no explanation for why Kaphaem harmed the infants.

A sentence hearing has not yet been set, but Kapheam could face up to 148 years in prison. The hospital has made moves to improve things and make sure something like this doesn't happen again. Meriter Hospital officials stated that video monitoring has been installed in NICU patient rooms, they have updated procedures for reporting abuse, and they have improved work flows to better monitor patients, according to the Wisconsin State Journal.