Florida ER doctor ‘shocked’ to lose custody of daughter due to coronavirus

Dr. Theresa Greene(NBC)

A South Florida emergency room doctor fighting coronavirus on the front lines is being forced to battle in court after losing shared custody of her daughter due to her work.

Dr. Theresa Greene tested negative this week for coronavirus, but the ER physician’s ex-husband requested and received an emergency order for sole custody of the former couple’s 4-year-old daughter until the pandemic ends, NBC Miami reported. Greene works in the Dept. of Emergency Medicine at Miami’s North Shore Medical Center, according to Doximity, a networking service for medical professionals.

Circuit Judge Bernard Shapiro’s court order approving the father’s request said the decision was made “to protect the best interests of the minor child, including but not limited to the minor child’s safety and welfare.”

He added that the decision “is solely related to the outbreak of COVID-19″ and the severity of the crisis in Florida.

“I was just shocked that the judge would take this stance without talking to medical experts and knowing the facts and take it so lightly, take my child from me and not think of the effect on her, her mental and psychological well-being," Greene told the outlet, pointing to evidence that suggests the virus generally has little impact on children. “You know I took an oath and I really believe in that, that’s why I went into medicine, to help people.”

Though it is currently believed to be less common for those in younger age groups to die of COVID-19 without having preexisting conditions, it has killed younger people, despite claims made by Fla. Gov. Ron DeSantis this week.

As of Friday, at seven U.S. COVID-19 deaths occurred in people 24 and younger, with two of those victims 14 or younger, according to CDC’s database tracking the numbers.

Greene said it’s “not fair” for those on the front lines like her “who, because they’re divorced, their children are suffering and they’re being told they can’t see them.”

The American Medical Association’s stance on the dilemma is that physicians in the thick of the crisis should be allowed to return to their families providing they’re taking the appropriate precautions.