Mother says hospital staff failed during shooting incident

WAUWATOSA (WITI) -- During the active shooter situation at Children's Hospital on Thursday afternoon, November 14th, hospital officials say critical services were not interrupted -- however one mother says her daughter was in desperate need of medical attention with no one around to help.

Kelly Tenpas says there was a communication break-down between the staff and patients. Now she is wondering why nurses left the room as, she claims, her 13-year-old daughter was having a panic attack.

"She started hyperventilating. She was having a panic attack. She started breathing and got really clammy," said Tenpas.

The Tenpas' room at Children's Hospital was directly above where the shooting took place. They heard gunshots and yelling when an announcement was made over the PA system.

"The announced active shooter and there were two nurses, they turned sheet white and took off," said Tenpas. "We didn't know, is he coming upstairs? Do they have him? We didn't know."

Tenpas took her daughter, who suffers from severe migraines and unstable blood pressure, into the bathroom. Tenpas says no one on the hospital staff ever gave her instructions on what to do during the situation.

"The left us, literally abandoned us. That's how I feel. They abandoned my daughter and myself," said Tenpas. "They needed to communicate to parents what to do, even if that mean their switchboard operators had to call each and every room."

The women stayed in the bathroom for an hour and a half. Tenpas' daughter wasn't given her medication or lunch.

FOX6 asked hospital administrators about their communication policy and was told:

When there is a need for communication, we try to make sure it happens through established lines like our nursing staff, doctors and communication team.

Tenpas says the safety of her daughter was in jeopardy, not only because of the shooting incident, but because she didn't receive proper medical treatment.

"It was a complete communication and procedural breakdown and that can't happen -- ever," said Tenpas.

Tenpas' daughter says she is still in shock over what happened on Thursday and had an appointment with her psychologist Friday afternoon.

Hospital administrators say they will review their communication plan but say everyone did an excellent job during the incident.