Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/623197
ByScottSonner & Ken Ritter The Associated Press RENO, NEV. A 20-year-old college freshman whose hospital treatment spurred an end-of-life court battle has died at a Reno hospi- tal while still on life sup- port, her family's lawyer said Tuesday. Aden Hailu, of Las Ve- gas, died about 4:30 p.m. Monday at Saint Mary's Regional Medical Center, where she never awoke from anesthesia after sur- gery in April, said David O'Mara, the attorney rep- resenting Hailu's father and family. O'Mara said the family was told the cause was re- spiratory failure. The Washoe County coro- ner was notified of the death but doesn't plan a public au- topsy, said Lynn Sack, aide to Coroner Ellen Clark. Sack said that because the death was at the hospital, a public autopsy isn't required. Saint Mary's Hospi- tal and Medical Center declined to immediately comment about the case. Spokeswoman Jamii Uboldi cited patient privacy provi- sions of the 1996 Health In- surance Portability and Ac- countability Act, or HIPAA. Uboldi said administra- tors think they need Hai- lu's father, Fanuel Gebreyes, or a legal representative to approve letting them talk about Hailu's death. Hailu was a freshman at the University of Nevada, Reno. Saint Mary's said she suffered severe low blood pressure and a lack of oxy- gen to the brain during the April 1 surgery to remove her appendix and explore the cause of unspecified ab- dominal pain, according to court documents. Doctors at Saint Mary's pronounced Hailu dead May 28, but the father ap- pealed to the Nevada Su- preme Court to delay the removal of life-support. Justices ruled in Novem- ber that Washoe County Family Court Judge Fran- ces Doherty was too quick when she rejected the fam- ily's bid to keep Hailu on life-support. The Supreme Court sent the case back to Doherty for more hearings. Last week, Gebreyes lost a court bid to delay brain electroencephalogram, or EEG, tests that the hospital said would show Hailu was brain dead and wouldn't re- cover. Doherty gave Saint Mary's the go-ahead to con- duct brain wave tests but in- dicated she wouldn't rule until at least Jan. 22 on the question of life or death. O'Mara said Tuesday it didn't appear the tests had been done and he had no more immediate informa- tion. O'Mara earlier accused the hospital of wanting to end life-support to cut costs. He said Gebreyes felt that as long as there was a chance Hailu was alive, the hospital should treat her or find a place that would. Attorneys representing the hospital argued it was unfair to force the hospital to treat Hailu indefinitely. The hospital said money wasn't the issue, but that administrators needed to respect doctors' medical judgment. The judge last week said she wanted both sides to submit arguments about whether additional EEG, CT scan and eye re- flex tests should be per- formed. Saint Mary's doctors said three EEG tests conducted during the first two weeks of April showed declining brain function, and no EEG tests were performed after that. Gebreyes, meanwhile, refused to consent to new brain wave tests. He in- sisted that Hailu needed treatment, not tests, includ- ing thyroid medication and a tracheostomy so she could receive nutrition through her throat, not just intrave- nous fluids. The judge told the father he could move Hailu to an- other facility if he wanted, but O'Mara had told The Associated Press the fam- ily couldn't find a place to take her. COURT BATTLE WomaninRenohospitalend- of -l if e ca se d ie s on l if e su pp or t CATHLEENALLISON—LASVEGASREVIEW-JOURNALFILE Washoe County District Court Judge Frances Doherty speaks at a hearing on Aden Hailu in Reno, Nev. By Ken Thomas The Associated Press SIOUX CITY, IOWA Na- tional polls notwithstand- ing, Hillary Clinton is guarding against compla- cency as she travels along the snow-covered fields of Iowa. "I need you," she says re- peatedly on the rope-line between handshakes and selfies. Wary of another mishap in Iowa, Clinton is preach- ing a message of urgency, challenging her supporters to dig in during the final month before the state's lead-off presidential cau- cus. She casts her candi- dacy as a check against Republicans and avoids mentioning her main Democratic rival, Bernie Sanders, whose polling numbers remain at strik- ing distance. "We can't take anything for granted," Clinton said at Des Moines' State His- torical Museum Mon- day night, a replica of a massive wooly mammoth looming off to the side as she spoke. "It doesn't hap- pen just because we wish it. It doesn't happen be- cause it's inevitable." Clinton's presidential bid faltered in Iowa in 2008, when she finished third against then-Sens. Barack Obama and John Edwards. She defeated Obama in the New Hamp- shire primary but the fu- ture president prevailed after outlasting Clinton in a series of contests during the spring. This time, Clinton has built a formidable team of field organizers around Iowa, mindful of the ground game edge that Obama had in the state in 2007 and 2008. Polls have shown Sanders lead- ing in New Hampshire, his neighbor to the east, giv- ing Clinton little margin for error here. If the former secretary of state stumbles in Iowa again and is defeated by Sanders in New Hamp- shire, it would almost cer- tainly renew worries about her ability to unify the par- ty's liberal and moderate factions. She enjoys strong sup- port among Latino and black voters who are piv- otal in Nevada and South Carolina, the third and fourth contests, but con- secutive losses might di- minish her standing. "If I get off to a good start here in Iowa, we're halfway home," Clinton said in Davenport. Few and far between are the days between now and the Feb. 1 caucuses in which Clinton or one of her messengers aren't sched- uled to campaign around Iowa. Former President Bill Clinton will be in Cedar Rapids and Dubuque on Thursday on behalf of his wife, and is certain to re- turn. Her team is also dis- patching backers like Vir- ginia Gov. Terry McAu- liffe, a top adviser during her 2008 campaign, and actress Lena Dunham of HBO's "Girls" in the com- ing days. "Nobody's complacent because of the 2007 and 2008 experience. This is not a done deal," said Ag- riculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, a former Iowa governor introduced Clin- ton at events on Monday. "I like what she's doing — she's reminding peo- ple what's at stake here. That's a motivating fac- tor." PRESIDENTIAL RACE Clinton trying to light fire among Iowa activists Call 877-4DAD411 or visit www.fatherhood.gov be a dad today. Take time to WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 6, 2016 REDBLUFFDAILYNEWS.COM | NEWS | 3 B