Hospital staff share disturbing images of newborns being mishandled

Outrage has ensued after two junior enlisted corpsmen in a US hospital took photos of themselves giving babies the finger and holding them up and making them "dance".

The photos were shared on Snapchat, and one quick-thinking viewer saved and shared them to her Facebook page. The post has attracted a whole lot of attention, with over 200,000 people sharing it.

Four images were shared to Facebook. One featured a staff member giving a baby the finger, with the caption, "How I currently feel about these mini-Satans". Another shows a staff member holding up a newborn baby and making it "dance".

It didn't take long for Naval Hospital Jacksonville to find out about the photos of its staff and to issue a statement:

"We have identified the staff members involved. They have been removed from patient care and they will be handled by the legal system and military justice. We've notified the patient's parents."

Action News Jax obtained a statement from the hospital in full:

"We are aware of the inappropriate video and photos and can confirm they are hospital corpsmen, not nurses, but we are unable to confirm their names or tenure in light of the ongoing investigation. The individuals have been
removed from patient care, meaning they will not be providing direct patient care. We are also contacting patients to address any questions or concerns they may have. This type of behavior is incompatible with the Navy's core values of honor, courage and commitment, as well as medical ethics. It also does not reflect the commitment Navy Medicine has to provide the best care our nation can offer to those who serve as well as their families. An investigation is underway. Once the investigation is complete, appropriate actions will be taken."

The original version of this article referred to the employees as "nurses" - this been corrected to "junior enlisted corpsmen".