etch5895, so the hospital's reaction was to pass the buck - very hospitable - to the NY Social Services who then treated children who will have been in some distress in a way that would get headlines in the UK if prisoners were treated that way.

Not a single shred of empathy or common sense seems to have been used at any point in this process all in the cause of "litigation".

As for "Would the procedures be different in Ft. Lauderdale, or Edinburgh for that matter?" - I don't know about Ft Lauderdale but in the case of Edinburgh they would have at least contacted the appropiate Consulate or Embassy and probably arranged for the children to stay TOGETHER with an emergency foster parent rather than dumping them in some sinkhole as the emphasis is on the needs of the child not the possibility of litigation

Goodness knows what would have happened if the mother hadn't been able to discharge herself.

As for not having insurance - it's drummed into people outside the US that if you go abroad you have insurance, doubly so if you are travelling to the US and/or have children with you