Adventist Health Hanford Birth Injury Lawyers

This page is for families who had a baby at Adventist Health Hanford, at 115 Mall Drive in Hanford, Kings County, California, and who now have questions about a difficult delivery or about a child's health. Many parents come to us months or years after the birth, when a doctor mentions cerebral palsy, a delay in walking or talking, or a brain injury at birth, and they wonder whether the delivery played a part.

Adventist Health Hanford is a private nonprofit hospital. According to its 2024 report to the state (HCAI), it is operated under Adventist Health Systems West and cared for 2,308 newborns in its newborn nursery that year. Most of those babies went home healthy, and nothing on this page says anything different about this hospital or the people who work there. We wrote it to explain, in plain words, what birth injuries are, what warning signs to watch for, and what steps a family can take to understand its options.

Learning about your options is not the same as deciding to take action. An independent review of the records can simply give you answers. Nothing here is legal advice for your situation, and every family's facts are different. If you have questions after reading, Beverly Law offers a free conversation with no obligation, in English or Spanish.

Labor and delivery at Adventist Health Hanford in Hanford, CA

According to the hospital's own website, Adventist Health Hanford runs a Birth Center at 115 Mall Drive with 11 private labor and delivery rooms, two surgery suites for cesarean births and 16 postpartum rooms. The website says the department is open 24 hours a day and that the staff have specialized training in maternity and newborn care. The main hospital phone number is 559-582-9000.

The hospital's website also describes a six-bed neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) operated by Valley Children's Healthcare. In its 2024 report to the state (HCAI), the hospital itself listed 0 licensed intensive-care newborn beds and 0 NICU discharges, and 2,308 newborns cared for in its newborn nursery. We do not state a NICU level for this hospital because neither the hospital's site nor a state page we reviewed gives one. If your baby needed intensive care, the hospital or your child's records can tell you where and by whom the baby was treated.

The hospital serves families in Hanford and the surrounding communities of Kings County and the central San Joaquin Valley. It is a private nonprofit hospital, not a county or University of California hospital, which matters for the kind of legal steps that may apply. We explain those steps further down this page.

Birth injuries families ask about after a difficult delivery

Hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) is a brain injury that can happen around the time of birth when the brain gets too little oxygen or blood flow. The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) explains that outcomes range from no lasting effect to serious disability, and that HIE can lead to cerebral palsy. Cerebral palsy is a group of movement and posture disorders caused by damage to the developing brain. NIH researchers note that it has many possible causes, including prematurity, infection, stroke around birth, genetics and oxygen deprivation, so a diagnosis does not by itself tell a family what happened.

Erb's palsy, also called brachial plexus birth palsy, is an injury to the network of nerves that controls the arm and hand. NINDS and Cleveland Clinic describe it as one of the more common birth injuries involving the arm. Mayo Clinic lists risk factors such as a larger baby, a long labor or a breech position. Many mild cases improve on their own in the first months, while others need therapy or surgery.

Other conditions families ask about include bleeding in the newborn brain, a fractured collarbone or a skull fracture, and infections such as group B strep (GBS). The CDC explains that GBS can make a newborn sick in the first week or in the first weeks and months of life. Mothers can also be hurt in childbirth, for example by heavy bleeding (hemorrhage) or tearing. These are general medical facts. They are not statements about any particular hospital, and many of these conditions happen even when everyone does everything right.

Warning signs in the first days, weeks and months

In the first hours and days, parents may notice a baby who is very floppy or very stiff, who has seizures or unusual jerking movements, who is hard to wake or does not feed well, or who has trouble breathing. The CDC lists fever, poor feeding, unusual sleepiness or irritability, trouble breathing and bluish skin as possible signs of GBS infection in newborns. A baby who needs cooling treatment, a breathing tube or a stay in intensive care is also a sign that something serious happened around birth.

In the following weeks and months, watch for a baby who does not move one arm like the other, who keeps one hand tightly fisted, who does not follow faces or sounds, who has trouble sucking or swallowing, or who is missing milestones such as holding up the head, rolling over, sitting or babbling. Some signs of cerebral palsy do not show up until a baby is several months old, which is why many families do not get a diagnosis right away.

If you see any of these signs, call your child's pediatrician right away. Medical care comes first. It is also a good idea to write down dates, symptoms and what the doctors told you, because those notes can help later if you decide to have the delivery reviewed.

Who may be responsible in a birth-injury claim?

A birth involves many people, and in a birth-injury claim responsibility may be shared. It may include the obstetrician or midwife who managed the labor, the labor and delivery nurses who watched the baby's heart rate and the mother's condition, the anesthesia team, a neonatologist or pediatrician who cared for the baby afterward, and the hospital itself as an organization.

A common question is whether the doctor worked for the hospital. Many obstetricians, anesthesiologists and pediatricians are independent physicians or work for a separate medical group, while nurses and other staff are often hospital employees. Who employed whom can change who may be named in a claim, so it is something an attorney would look at with the records in hand.

Whether anyone is legally responsible depends on the facts. A bad outcome by itself does not prove a mistake, and many birth injuries happen without any one person doing something wrong. That is why a careful, independent review comes before any decision.

How an independent expert review of the delivery works

An independent review starts with the complete records of the mother's prenatal care, the labor and delivery, and the baby's newborn and NICU care. Medical experts, such as an obstetrician, a neonatologist and a pediatric neurologist, read them without knowing anything about the family or the hospital's reputation. Their job is to answer one question: did the care meet the accepted standard, and if not, did that cause the injury?

The experts usually look at the fetal heart monitoring strips, which show the baby's heart rate during labor, along with the nurses' charting and the times doctors were called. They look at Apgar scores, which are quick checks of the baby at 1 and 5 minutes, and at umbilical cord blood gas results, which show how much oxygen the baby had. NICHD researchers have noted that Apgar scores alone are an imperfect marker, which is one reason experts look at the whole picture. They also review brain imaging such as MRI and the NICU notes.

The review may show that the care was appropriate and that the injury had another cause. That is also an answer, and many families find it helps them move forward. If the review points to a problem, the family can then decide what to do with full information.

What to do now: step-by-step for Hanford families

Step 1: Take care of your child. Keep up with the pediatrician, specialists and therapies. Step 2: Write down what you remember about the labor and delivery and your child's symptoms, including dates and the names of the departments, not accusations. Step 3: Request your and your baby's records from the hospital. You will usually need both the mother's chart and the baby's chart, and you should ask specifically for the fetal monitoring strips.

Step 4: Do not sign releases or settlement papers from an insurer without advice. Step 5: Talk with an attorney early. California sets strict deadlines for these cases, and parents' own claims can have shorter deadlines than the child's claim. A free consultation costs nothing and does not commit you to anything. Step 6: Ask about an independent expert review of the records before deciding whether to move forward.

Beverly Law works on a contingency basis for these cases, which means families do not pay attorney fees unless there is a recovery. Ask about costs in your first conversation so you know exactly what to expect.

Support for your child while the case is reviewed

Your child can start getting help now, whether or not a legal case ever begins. Babies and toddlers under 3 with a delay or a condition that may cause one can be evaluated for Early Start, California's early intervention program, through the regional center that serves your county. Therapies such as physical, occupational and speech therapy can make a real difference when they start early.

Children with certain medical conditions may qualify for California Children's Services (CCS), and children from lower-income families may have Medi-Cal. Your pediatrician, the hospital social worker or the county health department can explain which programs apply. School districts also provide special education services starting at age 3.

We cannot promise any result for a case. We can promise to listen, to explain your options in plain language and to point you toward the help your child may be able to get now.

Deadlines for a birth-injury case in California

California gives a child’s birth-injury case its own deadline. Under Code of Civil Procedure § 340.5, a minor must sue within three years of the wrongful act, but a child who was under six when it happened has until his or her eighth birthday if that is longer. For a baby hurt during labor or delivery, that usually means the eighth birthday. The clock runs from the act itself, not from the day the family learned what went wrong, and it is paused only in narrow cases of fraud or collusion. Parents’ own claims, and claims against a public hospital, can have much shorter deadlines, so it is safer to get advice early.

Before a medical malpractice lawsuit can be filed in California, the doctor or hospital must get written warning. Under Code of Civil Procedure § 364, the health care provider must receive at least 90 days’ notice of the intention to sue. No special form is required, but the notice must state the legal basis of the claim, the type of loss and the specific injuries suffered. Under § 364(d), if the notice is served within the last 90 days of the filing deadline, the deadline is extended 90 days from the date of service. The notice is a required step, and it is often the moment a case moves from questions to formal action.

What MICRA caps — and what it does not

California’s MICRA law limits one part of a medical malpractice recovery. Under Civil Code § 3333.2, as amended by AB 35, non-economic damages (pain, suffering, loss of enjoyment of life) are capped. In 2026 the cap is $470,000 for injury and $650,000 for wrongful death, and it rises every January 1 ($40,000 and $50,000 a year until 2033, then 2% a year). Separate caps can apply to doctors, hospitals and unaffiliated providers. Economic damages are not capped: lifetime medical care, therapy, equipment, home modifications and lost earning capacity can be recovered in full, and in a birth-injury case they are usually the largest part of the claim.

How to get the delivery records from Adventist Health Hanford

California law gives families a right to these records. Under Health and Safety Code § 123110, a patient or the patient’s personal representative — for a baby, a parent or guardian (§ 123105) — may inspect the records within five working days of a written request and is entitled to a paper or electronic copy, which the provider must send within 15 days after receiving a request that says which records are wanted. For a birth-injury review, ask for both charts: the mother’s labor and delivery record, including the fetal heart rate monitoring strips, and the baby’s newborn and NICU record.

Adventist Health Hanford's website says patients can request medical records online through the MyChart patient portal, and its system-wide medical records page at adventisthealth.org explains how to submit a records request online or by sending an authorization form, in English or Spanish, to MedRecords@ah.org; the page says requests are typically fulfilled within 14 business days. For a birth injury, ask for both the mother's chart and the baby's chart, and ask specifically for the fetal heart monitoring strips, the labor and delivery notes, the newborn nursery and NICU records, and the cord blood gas results. If you are unsure how to proceed, you can call the hospital at 559-582-9000 and ask for the medical records (Health Information Management) department.

The hospital’s medical records page →

Where a case from Hanford would be filed

A civil case for a birth injury at Adventist Health Hanford would usually be filed in the Superior Court of California, County of Kings, which handles civil cases at its Hanford courthouse at 1640 Kings County Drive, Hanford, CA 93230. The court's website is kings.courts.ca.gov. Most families never need to go to court, and the venue can depend on where the defendants are located and where the care took place, so an attorney would confirm it for your case.

Superior Court of California, County of Kings (Hanford courthouse) → — 1640 Kings County Drive, Hanford, CA 93230

Help for your child now: Early Start in Kings County

If your child is under 3 and has a developmental delay or a diagnosis that may cause one, you can ask for a free Early Start evaluation. According to the California Department of Developmental Services (dds.ca.gov), Central Valley Regional Center is the regional center that handles Early Start intake for Kings County; its intake line is listed as 559-276-4300 and its website is cvrc.org. You can call yourself, and a doctor's referral helps but is not required. Tell them your child's age and your concerns, and ask for an evaluation.

Central Valley Regional Center →

Key facts

Questions parents ask

Related pages

Cerebral Palsy · Erb’s Palsy / Brachial Plexus Injury · HIE / Oxygen Deprivation at Birth · Statute of Limitations · MICRA Damages Cap · All California hospitals · California birth injury lawyers · Birth injury guides

Beverly Law is an independent law firm. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by or speaking for Adventist Health Hanford or Adventist Health (Adventist Health Systems West). Hospital facts on this page come from the public sources listed above.

Important: This page is general information about birth injuries and California law, not legal advice, and reading it does not create an attorney-client relationship with Beverly Law. Every case is different — talk to a lawyer about your own situation. Attorney advertising. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. No fees or costs unless we win. Last reviewed: 2026-09-18.