For helping coronavirus patients, a South Florida doctor lost custody of her daughter

As a South Florida emergency room doctor, Dr. Theresa Greene relishes her work helping patients suffering from the novel coronavirus that has upended the world in a few short months.

As a mother, she’s also valued the extra time with her 4-year-old daughter, who is now home from pre-kindergarten because of the pandemic, as she teaches the girl simple math and memorizing letters.

But Greene’s dual roles are in jeopardy after a Miami-Dade judge, citing the heightened risk of the child being infected by her mother, temporarily stripped her of parental custody. Greene’s ex-husband, Eric Greene, with whom the doctor shares custody of the child, had asked the judge to shield the girl from her mother.

“The suspension is solely related to the outbreak of COVID-19,” Circuit Judge Bernard Shapiro wrote in his order released Friday.

Theresa Greene’s lawyers on Monday filed an emergency petition with Miami-Dade’s Third District Court of Appeal, hoping to overturn Shapiro’s decision.

“He just unjustly ripped my daughter from me,” Theresa Greene, 39, said in an interview on Monday. “I was shocked the American legal system would allow for that to happen.”

Said Steven Nullman, her Miami lawyer: “We believe that the decision sets out a very dangerous precedent that could have a major impact on healthcare providers around the country who are risking their own lives while fighting to save others.”

Eric Greene’s lawyer stressed that the situation is only temporary and the mother will be allowed makeup days for all the time missed. The child also gets daily video chats with the doctor, the lawyer, Paul Leinoff, said on Monday.

“Mr. Greene and I have the upmost respect for Dr. Greene’s commitment to her critical work during this pandemic,” Leinoff said. “We recognize and genuinely appreciate the sacrifices that she and all healthcare workers are all currently making to save lives and prevent further illness in Florida and around the world.”

Healthcare workers affected

Across the globe, billions are sheltering at home under government orders to avoid catching and spreading the potentially deadly respiratory virus. The restrictions have in turn upended countless child-sharing arrangements.

Most affected are healthcare workers, who are treating people infected with the virus and are more at risk of getting sick themselves.

The American Medical Association says it believes medical staffers should be with their families, as long as they are taking precautions to stay virus free.

“Some of these emotional supports that people need and require are very important,” Dr. Mark Rupp, chief of the infectious diseases division at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, told the AMA. “And if we get into a situation where we’re expecting healthcare providers to come to work and then go home and be isolated, that is not going to be a healthy situation for anybody.”

Theresa Greene, of North Miami, asked that the hospital where she works not be identified. She and her former husband have evenly split custody of the girl since 2018.

In an emergency motion filed last week, Greene’s lawyer wrote: “There is no question that the mother is at significantly higher risk of contracting COVID-19 since she is an emergency room doctor and exposed to the virus on a daily, if not hourly basis.”

In asking for the doctor to be temporarily stripped of her custody, Eric Greene “is merely looking out for the minor child’s health, and his own health,” his lawyer wrote.

But Theresa Greene said she has taken every precaution to stay clear of the virus, and has tested negative for COVID-19.

At the hospital, she said, she wears gloves, masks, goggles and even has a one-piece protective suit for use when treating the sickest of COVID-19 patients. Her work stations are constantly disinfected. Prior to the judge’s order, she’d been changing clothes immediately after entering her home, and showering before picking up her daughter the next day.

“She’s already had it hard going back and forth between two households,” she said. “Now, she doesn’t have school. She doesn’t understand at this point. I really worry for her.”

This story was originally published April 13, 2020 at 12:00 AM.