“This morning, I released a copy of my report [titled] The Cost of Misdiagnosis.”

Lehigh County Controller Mark Pinsley started the county commissioners’ board meeting Aug. 23 with that statement. It was the start of an evening in which dozens of personal testimonies were heard by the board of commissioners, each speaker claiming they were wrongly accused by an alleged Lehigh Valley Health Network physician.

Pinsley explained, “Recently, my office uncovered statistics that made an impact on the county’s finances. I became aware of a rare disease called Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy. This is a disease where a caregiver convinces a child they are sick, often seeking unnecessary medical treatment and intervention.

“Munchausen Syndrome is considered medical child abuse, and so Children and Youth Services from Lehigh County provides more than a $30 million budget for and is involved in cases with this disease,” Pinsley added.

Pinsley explained 11% of the population of the Northeast region of the state, which includes Lehigh and Northampton counties, are children. They account for 40% of the state’s cases of Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy.

Pinsley also addressed the hidden costs of the accusations, from job loss to reputation to family hardships. This was followed by 150 minutes of personal testimonies in an overcapacity public conference room.

Commissioners listened carefully to each story being related to them.

One story recalled an incident where a parent lost his or her balance and dropped an infant, resulting in injuries. In another situation, parents tried to help their choking infant. These are but two examples of stories where the same alleged physician pursued child abuse investigations.

Many also spoke of the hardships of dealing with Children and Youth Services, especially if their children were taken away.

Lehigh Valley Justice Institute Executive Director Joe E. Welsh addressed the families: “I’m a parent. I can’t imagine what you’ve gone through. It is the absolute parent’s nightmare.”

As an attorney, he relayed the possible criminal charges made “his head spin.” He suggested the Lehigh County District Attorney’s Office open an investigation into the allegations raised at the meeting.

Chairman Geoff Brace closed the public comments section by saying, “The county of Lehigh has a legal and moral obligation to investigate every allegation of child abuse brought forward to county personnel and agencies. I don’t think anyone in the room disagrees with that. We will continue to ensure that happens. Nonetheless, these concerns must be sent to the Department of Human Services.”

After a short break, the board resumed with the scheduled agenda.

The board next meets Sept. 13.

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