The following is a chronological summary of the events during the three-month life of Brady Blake, according to a report given to Mercer County Commissioners on Thursday:
- Born Jan. 1, 1995, Brady is taken to the emergency room on Jan. 26 by his 16-year-old mother, Cheryle. She said the baby could not keep food down. At the time, the family was under the care of the county's Children and Youth Services because of the condition of the home.
He is admitted to UCH weighing 6 pounds, 5 ounces.
- The treating physician reports the case to a child abuse hot line. He photographs Brady and diagnoses him with "failure to thrive" syndrome.
- Brady is discharged to his parents on Jan. 30, weighing 6 pounds, 8 1/4 ounces. CYS, Hoyt, the hospital and the home health agency develop a discharge plan including home visits and a steroid cream for diaper rash.
The discharge-plan goals include parenting education for Mrs. Blake and a weight gain of 1/2 ounce to 1 ounce daily for Brady, who lost 3 1/4 ounces between Jan. 28 and his discharge.
- Within two weeks, on Feb. 13, Larry and Cheryle Blake take Brady, weighing 7 pounds, to another hospital because he still isn't keeping food down.
Hospital records describe him as dehydrated and diagnosed with a reflux problem. He is returned to the Blakes under a new discharge plan that provides for additional visits from home health. About this time CYS Director Eugene Montone retires and is replaced by Richard Winn, who has no hands-on experience in CYS.
- Brady's regular physician, agrees to the discharge plan and orders office visits every two weeks.
Discrepancies in Brady's weight show up between reports at the doctor's office and by the visiting nurse; they are attributed to the doctor weighing the baby with his diaper on. Nurse visits to the Blake home are to end March 14 because, home health explains, no medical need exists and the visits would no longer be paid by Medical Assistance.
- The doctor sees Brady on March 16 and suggests changing the nipple on Brady's bottle to help him keep food down. The doctor records Brady's weight as 8 pounds, 2 ounces.
- The visiting nurse conducts one final home visit on March 17. Brady weighs 7 pounds, 2 ounces without a diaper. The information is given to the doctor's office and to the home health agency's supervising nurse, who was told to terminate nurse visits. The nurse tells Mrs. Blake to continue applying the steroid-containing diaper-rash medicine twice daily.
- During the final week of Brady's life -- March 18 to March 25 -- home health aides try to visit the Blake home daily.
- On March 23, the Blakes are not home; they had taken their older son to the doctor for suspected chicken pox.
- On March 24, no one answers the door.
- When the home health aide arrives on March 25, she makes small talk with Mrs. Blake and then discovers that Brady is not breathing when she looks in on him in his crib. According to members of the Blake family as described in the report, the aide seemed to panic, did not attempt to revive the baby.
Rescue and emergency room personnel try but fail to revive Brady that afternoon.
Published Friday, April 23, 1999