Massachusetts officials have announced a plan to return a teenager in a custody dispute involving different diagnoses by two hospitals to her home state of Connecticut.
Massachusetts Secretary of Health and Human Services John Polanowicz says the plan calls for Justina Pelletier to be transferred to a Thompson, Connecticut facility as part of a process that could return her to her parents. A judge will have final say.
Tufts Medical Center treated Justina for mitochondrial disease, a disorder that affects cellular energy production. Boston Children's Hospital diagnosed her problems as psychiatric. When her parents rejected that diagnosis and tried to take her back to Tufts, the state took custody.
Her family rejects the plan and say they want a guarantee Justina will be home by her 16th birthday, May 24.
