Adventist Health and Rideout Birth Injury Lawyers

This page is for families who had a baby at Adventist Health and Rideout, 726 Fourth Street in Marysville, Yuba County, California, and who now have questions about how the delivery went or about their child's health. Maybe your baby needed time in the NICU. Maybe a doctor mentioned oxygen, a brain scan, or a nerve injury. Maybe a milestone has been late and you are trying to understand why. You do not have to have an answer to read on. Wanting to understand is reason enough.

Adventist Health and Rideout is a nonprofit hospital. According to the hospital's 2024 report to the state (HCAI), its newborn nursery cared for 1,833 babies that year, and the hospital reported 6 licensed intensive-care newborn (NICU) beds and 114 NICU discharges. Many families in Marysville, Yuba City and the surrounding area begin their lives as parents here. Most births go well. This page is not about any one birth or any one care team. It explains, in plain words, what birth injuries are, what warning signs to watch for, and what choices a family has if it wants answers.

Beverly Law wrote this guide as general information, not legal advice. It explains the medical ideas first, then how an independent review of a delivery works, how to get your own records, and where to find help for your child while you decide what to do. Below the guide you will find the legal deadlines and rules that apply in California. Because some of those deadlines are strict, it helps to learn your options early, even if you are not sure you want to take any step.

Labor and delivery at Adventist Health and Rideout in Marysville

According to the hospital's own website, the Family Birthing Center at Adventist Health and Rideout supports patients from labor through delivery. The site describes private labor and delivery rooms with space for a partner and family, sleeping accommodations so a partner can stay overnight, and advanced surgical suites for cesarean births. It also says obstetricians, pediatricians and experienced obstetric nurses are available around the clock, and that babies stay in the room with their mothers whenever possible. The hospital lists the Family Birthing Center at 530-751-4165.

The hospital's website says its Neonatal Intensive Care Unit cares for premature newborns and babies who need extra support, and that families have a private waiting room and bedside accommodations. In its 2024 report to the state (HCAI), the hospital listed 6 licensed intensive-care newborn beds and 114 NICU discharges, and 1,833 newborns cared for in the newborn nursery. We do not state a NICU level for this hospital because the hospital's own pages we reviewed do not give one.

Adventist Health and Rideout is at 726 Fourth Street in Marysville and serves families in Yuba County and nearby communities. According to the state report, it is a nonprofit corporation, which means it is a private hospital and not a county or University of California hospital. That matters later, because different deadlines apply to public hospitals. Everything on this page about the hospital comes from the state report or the hospital's own website, and none of it says anything about the care any particular family received.

Birth injuries families ask about after a difficult delivery

A birth injury is harm to a baby or a mother that happens around labor and delivery. Some injuries are caused by the physical forces of birth. Others come from a lack of oxygen or blood flow, an infection, or a complication nobody could have predicted. Not every poor outcome means someone made a mistake. The first goal is to understand what happened to your child and what your child needs.

Hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) is brain injury from too little oxygen and blood flow around birth. The Cleveland Clinic describes signs in a newborn that can include floppy or stiff muscle tone, trouble feeding, irritability, a weak cry and abnormal breathing. Cooling treatment (therapeutic hypothermia) is the main established treatment for moderate to severe HIE and works best when started early. Cerebral palsy (CP) is a group of movement and posture disorders. The CDC calls it the most common motor disability in childhood and says that most cases (85 to 90 percent) are congenital, meaning they begin before or during birth, that the cause is often unknown, and that lack of oxygen at birth accounts for only a small share of cases.

Erb's palsy, also called brachial plexus palsy, is weakness of an arm after the nerves of the shoulder are stretched during birth, often when a shoulder is slow to deliver. Many babies recover over weeks to months, while some need therapy or surgery. Other conditions families ask about include bleeding in the brain, a broken collarbone or skull fracture, and infections such as group B strep (GBS). Mothers can also be injured; heavy bleeding after delivery (hemorrhage) is one example. Doctors explain each of these differently, and a medical record review is the way to learn which one applies to your family.

Warning signs in the first days, weeks and months

In the first days, doctors and nurses watch for trouble breathing, a baby who is very limp or very stiff, seizures or unusual movements, poor feeding, a weak cry, low body temperature or blood sugar, and an arm that does not move. If your baby needed cooling treatment, a breathing tube or a stay in the NICU, ask the care team to explain why, in words you understand, and ask for a written summary when you go home.

In the weeks and months that follow, watch for how your baby moves and responds. The CDC lists signs that can point to cerebral palsy: in babies under 6 months, head lag when picked up, stiffness or floppiness, arching of the back and neck, or stiff legs that cross; after 6 months, not rolling over, difficulty bringing hands together or to the mouth, or reaching with only one hand; after 10 months, crawling in a lopsided way or scooting without crawling on all fours. The CDC also notes that some children without CP show some of these signs, so one sign alone proves nothing.

The National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) adds delayed motor skills, such as slow progress with sitting, crawling or walking, and trouble swallowing or feeding. Feeling that something is off is a good reason to call the pediatrician. Ask for a developmental screening, write down what you see, and take short videos of your baby moving. Early evaluation is useful whatever the cause, because early therapy helps children. It also creates a record of when the concern first appeared.

Who may be responsible in a birth injury claim

A birth involves many people, and in a claim the question is whether any of them failed to follow accepted medical standards and whether that failure caused the injury. Those who may be involved include the obstetrician, a midwife, labor and delivery nurses, an anesthesiologist, a pediatrician or neonatologist, and the hospital itself. A case may also name a medical group that employs a physician. Whether any of them is responsible depends entirely on the facts, and many births with bad outcomes involve no one at fault.

It matters whether a professional works for the hospital or is an independent physician with privileges to practice there. Nurses and staff are often hospital employees. Many doctors, including some obstetricians, anesthesiologists and neonatologists, work for their own practice or a separate medical group. Who employs whom can change who is named in a claim, which insurance applies and what notice must be sent. This is one of the first things a lawyer sorts out from the records, and you do not need to know the answer before you call.

Different rules apply to different kinds of hospitals. This one is a private nonprofit hospital according to the state report. Families who delivered at a county or other local public hospital face a short claim period under the Government Claims Act, and Kaiser members usually have claims decided by an arbitrator instead of a jury. The legal notes below explain each of these in detail. For parents, the practical point is that the right steps depend on where and with whom you delivered.

How an independent expert review of a delivery works

A careful review starts with the complete records. A lawyer cannot judge a delivery from a summary or from memory. The review team collects the prenatal chart, the labor and delivery record, the operative report if there was a cesarean, the newborn and NICU chart, and your child's later medical records. The records show what the care team saw, what they decided and when.

Qualified medical experts, usually a board-certified obstetrician, a neonatologist and, if needed, a pediatric neurologist or radiologist, read those records. They typically look at the fetal heart monitoring strips, which show the baby's heart rate during labor. They also look at the timeline of decisions, Apgar scores at one and five minutes, umbilical cord blood gas results that show how much acid was in the baby's blood, the NICU notes, and brain imaging such as an MRI. Each piece is a clue, and none of them settles the question alone.

The experts answer two questions: whether the care met accepted standards, and whether any departure caused the injury or only coincided with it. Sometimes the answer is that care was appropriate and the injury was not preventable. That is a real answer, and it can bring peace of mind. If the experts do find a problem, the family can decide whether to take the next step. Reviewing a case does not commit a family to filing anything.

What the family can do now, step by step

Step one: care for your child first. Keep going to the pediatrician and any specialists, and write down dates, names of clinics and what you were told. Step two: request your baby's records and your own delivery records in writing. You have a right to them, and the legal section below explains how that works. Ask for the full chart, including the fetal monitoring strips and the NICU records, not only a summary.

Step three: keep your own file. Save discharge papers, bills, photos, videos of your baby's movement, and notes about conversations. Avoid posting details online, since posts can be misunderstood later. Step four: write down your questions for the doctors, and ask them directly. Many families find that a calm conversation with their own care team answers a lot.

Step five: talk with a lawyer who handles birth injury cases, early. A first conversation costs nothing, and you learn which deadlines apply to your child and to you as parents. Step six: if you want, ask for an independent review of the records, and decide afterward what to do. You decide the pace. The one thing that is hard to undo is letting a deadline pass, which is why we encourage families not to wait.

Support for your child while a case is reviewed: therapy, Early Start, Medi-Cal and CCS

Your child's care should not wait for any legal question. Pediatricians can refer you to physical, occupational and speech therapy, to specialists in neurology and orthopedics, and to feeding support. For babies under 3, California's Early Start program offers evaluation and services, and families can ask for an evaluation directly. The regional center that serves Yuba County is the Alta California Regional Center.

Many children with serious health needs qualify for Medi-Cal, and California Children's Services (CCS) can cover care for eligible children with certain medical conditions. CCS-approved centers must meet state standards. Ask the hospital social worker, your pediatrician or your county office about eligibility; their guidance is the best starting point and we cannot promise any outcome.

Support is also for you. Parents of a child with special needs often benefit from parent support groups, respite care and school-age services such as an Individualized Education Program (IEP) later on. Taking care of your own health and rest is part of taking care of your child. When a family does bring a case, the cost of lifetime care is a large part of what the experts and the lawyer analyze, which is another reason to keep careful records of every therapy and every bill.

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 and Rideout

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.

To get records from Adventist Health and Rideout, contact its Health Information Management (medical records) office at 726 Fourth Street, Marysville, CA 95901, phone 530-749-4300, fax 530-749-4495, open Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. According to the hospital's records page, walk-in requests are not available. You can request records through the online patient request form linked on that page, or print the Authorization to Release Medical Information form or the Patient Directed Request form and send it by email to MedRecords@AH.org, by fax or by mail. The hospital says requests are typically filled within 14 business days. Ask for the full delivery chart, including the fetal heart monitoring strips, and the newborn and NICU records, and keep a copy of everything you send.

The hospital’s medical records page →

Where a case from Marysville would be filed

A civil case for injuries at a Yuba County hospital would usually be filed in the Superior Court of California, County of Yuba, at the Yuba County Courthouse, 215 Fifth Street, Suite 200, Marysville, CA 95901. The court's website says all court operations are located there, and the civil division can be reached at 530-740-1800, extension 6. Where a particular case is filed can depend on the facts, such as where the defendants are located and which kind of provider is involved, and a lawyer can confirm the right court for your family.

Superior Court of California, County of Yuba (Yuba County Courthouse) → — 215 Fifth Street, Suite 200, Marysville, CA 95901

Help for your child now: Early Start in Yuba County

California's Early Start program helps babies and toddlers from birth to 36 months who have a developmental delay or a condition that may cause one. In Yuba County it is run through the Alta California Regional Center, which has an office at 950 Tharp Road, Suite 202, in Yuba City. A parent or legal guardian can ask for an evaluation directly by creating an account in Alta's online portal and applying, or by calling the Early Start intake line at 916-978-6400 and pressing 0 for help. After a referral, the regional center explains the assessment process, schedules evaluations and has 45 calendar days to decide on eligibility. You do not need a doctor's referral to ask, and asking does not depend on any legal question.

Alta California Regional Center (Yuba City office) →

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 and Rideout or Adventist Health. 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.