Two more families of babies hurt, neglected in Henrico NICU reach settlements with hospital

HENRICO COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) — Henrico Doctors’ Hospital has settled with two more families whose babies reportedly had their bones broken or experienced other forms of neglect while in the hospital’s neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), making for a total of seven families who have reached settlements.

Two more families have settled with Henrico Doctors' Hospital after their babies reportedly had their bones broken or experienced other forms of neglect while in the hospital’s neonatal intensive care unit, according to Stephanie Grana, the attorney representing both families.

These settlements are the result of civil suits filed on behalf of multiple families against HCA Healthcare.

This comes after five other families settled with the hospital.

The following is Grana's statement provided to 8News:

These cases are heartbreaking. The families are rightfully devastated by Strotman's actions while a NICU nurse at Henrico Doctors’ Hospital (“HDH”) and no parent should have to fear that their newborn could be harmed by someone entrusted with their care. What occurred should never have happened. As a mother whose own child was cared for in the NICU at HDH years ago, this case is deeply personal to me. I know how vulnerable that time is for families, and I’m passionate about standing with these parents in their pursuit of justice. We appreciate HCA Health System and their counsel for establishing a positive dialogue with the families and their counsel which allowed these significant matters to be appropriately addressed. This includes both compensation to the families and operational changes at HDH to prevent such an event from ever occurring again. While no amount of money can undo the pain, these settlements are an important step toward healing now and into the future. Stephanie Grana

Grana did not specify which families were involved, nor did she state the settlement amounts.

The civil case is separate from the criminal proceedings involving former NICU nurse Erin Strotman, who still faces 20 charges in connection with the nine injured babies. Her trial is set for February 2026.

In late December 2024, the Henrico hospital temporarily closed its NICU to new admissions after multiple premature babies were found with “unexplainable fractures.”

Multiple investigations into this incident were launched and, as of the time of reporting, a total of nine babies are known to have been abused and/or neglected by staff.

State agencies like the Virginia Department of Health reported that Henrico Doctors’ Hospital failed to protect its NICU patients from this abuse. It was also found to be in violation of several state standards.