Bed bugs discovered at Riley Hospital at IU Health

There is concern Monday about just how clean an Indianapolis children’s hospital is and how safe it is for its patients.

Imagine having to worry about the health of your newborn daughter for weeks on end, only to be plagued by another scare, being bitten by bed bugs.

Fox59 received photos from Michael Wallace of South Bend who said he and his wife have been at Riley Hospital at IU Health for the last six weeks tending to their daughter who was clinging to life.

Wallace wrote in an email that while at the hospital, they began having problems with bed bugs. In the email, he claimed the bed bugs have been a problem in their room for more than two weeks.


“I thought maybe it's my nerves,” said Wallace. “Maybe I'm breaking out in hives. But why are they itching? And my wife had them too.”

Dozens of red, itchy bumps began covering every inch of their bodies, leaving the Wallace’s to wonder what was happening, until Wallace caught one of the bugs crawling on his arm.

“I looked at my arm and it was the size of a full-blown tick, almost,” said Wallace.

Wallace said the hospital did not believe them at first.

“They wouldn’t do anything until I found the bug,” said Wallace. “They wouldn’t help.  They said if you find a bug, put it in this container and let us know.”

Wallace said he did find the bug and noticed its huge size.

“As big as that bug was, it was like a grandfather,” said Wallace. “It could’ve carried me away.  I’m not lying, it was big.”

The family said that hospital staff recently moved them to a new room, took their clothes and shoes, and gave them a gift card to Target. The family also says they are not from their area and have no other clothes or shoes with them.

IU Health released the following statement:

"Bed bugs continue to be an issue nationwide. At Riley Hospital for Children at Indiana University Health, an incidence of bed bugs was recently discovered. To ensure the safety of our patients and families, we work closely with our infection control and environmental services departments to ensure the incident is isolated and dealt with in a timely manner.

“This was confined to one room. It was an isolated incident and the proper protocols were followed to eradicate the problem. It's important to remember that the issue is not confined to Riley at IU Health or to Indiana; it is an issue that continues to affect the nation.”

Wallace begs to differ.

"I guarantee if they're in one room they're in multiple rooms,” said Wallace. “They're not just going to be in one room."

Medical experts said bed bugs do not transmit diseases and cleanliness and hygiene have nothing to do with an outbreak.

Fox59's Kjerstin Ramsing contributed to this report.