Northampton County Council members met Sept. 7 to discuss an amendment to the responsible contractors ordinance; however, they spent two hours of a four-hour meeting listening to Lehigh Valley parents.

Joe Welsh, of the Lehigh Valley Justice Institute, opened up the discussion about a Lehigh Valley Health Network doctor. At the center of the issue is Dr. Debra Esernio-Jenssen.

“What struck me the most is that a doctor, a pediatrician, at Lehigh Valley Hospital could not only engineer the removal of children from their families, in some cases permanently, but having no specialty in these very rare conditions, could override prestigious institutes and discontinue medication,” Welsh said.

One parent said bringing your child to LVHN hospitals puts you and your family at risk of losing custody, attorney fees, job loss, exposure to harmful tests and being registered as a child abuser, as it did to his family. In two situations, parents said they brought the kids to the emergency room for help, where Jenssen and her team determined two sets of parents have Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy and were subsequently banned from the hospital.

Many parents called for Jenssen to be fired and have her medical license revoked so children can feel safe. Another hoped for a second opinion in potential cases of medical child abuse.

According to other news articles, complaints like these allegedly started during Jenssen’s tenure as a pediatrician in New York.

Beth Maloney, attorney and expert on “medical kidnapping,” spoke to council.

Medical kidnapping happens when unqualified doctors decide long-term treating experts have it wrong and accuse the parents of having psychological disorders, without even meeting them, Maloney said. Child protection services are then weaponized to take children away from their parents.

These types of cases are usually closed or withdrawn after nine to 12 months, but the trouble continues before children are reunited with family. Maloney alleged children are forced to endure risky medications, unnecessary tests and evaluations that deliver the results sought.

A statement was read from a now-15-year-old who endured this trauma. In the statement, he said his mental health suffered from being medically kidnapped at 13. He doesn’t feel normal anymore and relives his trauma whenever someone knocks on a door, he said.

Doctors reportedly took him off his prescribed medications, making his symptoms worse. He said he could not eat or drink and felt pain all the time. This youth was also reportedly told his conditions were not real and that he could not see his normal doctors or his friends and family.

The issue is not only affecting Northampton County. An August report from the Lehigh County controller’s office claims a systematic overdiagnosis of medical child abuse. Families gathered at an August Lehigh County Board of Commissioners meeting to make similar complaints.

In a separate statement, LVHN announced Dr. Sarah Kleinle was named the director of the John Van Brakle Child Advocacy Center. This position was formerly held by Jenssen. According to the statement, Jenssen will provide care part time at other in-network locations.