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Families stunned as Nashville fertility clinic abruptly closes... with all their embryos inside By JOE HUTCHISON FOR DAILYMAIL.COM Published: 22:10 GMT, 21 November 2024 | Updated: 22:26 GMT, 21 November 2024 e-mail View comments Families have been left in limbo after a Nashville fertility clinic was abruptly closed - with their embryos inside. The Center for Reproductive Health was shuttered in April of this year after staff received an email from head of the clinic Dr. Jaime Vasquez. Workers were informed there was a 'financial deficit', and that the company was unable to hand out their paychecks. In the weeks that followed, staff left and Vasquez was left to monitor and field questions from concerned patients on his own. Mary Schacher spoke to the outlet about the closure, saying she had her appointment cancelled by a nurse while unaware the facility was closing up shop. Her embryos had been genetically tested and both were deemed viable, with her hoping that she would become pregnant that same month. After hearing of the news that the facility was to close, her husband appeared at the center and was shocked to discover it open and unattended. Schacher told the outlet that her husband found a sticky note with a key taped to the front of it with the message 'thank you for everything & great opportunity'. The Center for Reproductive Health was shuttered in April of this year after staff received an email from head of the clinic Dr. Jaime Vasquez Embryo selection for IVF shown under a light micrograph - the treatment is overwhelmingly popular with Americans Her husband had to inform security that the doors were unlocked, with medical records and genetic materials still inside, completely unprotected. On her last visit, Schacher said other concerned patients had gathered outside the facility to obtain her medical records so she could continue treatment elsewhere. After it was closed, the attorney general of Tennessee Jonathan Skrmetti filed a suit against Vasquez and the facility. The attorney general said that Vasquez had failed to provide patients with proper facilities that they had paid for. According to the AG's office, they endangered frozen eggs, sperm and embryos and wasn't able to provide continuity in care for patients. Through his lawyer's, Vasquez had denied any responsibility for the doors to the facility being left unlocked. In court records seen by the outlet, a public health inspector on the same day Schacher was last there found the clinic in disarray. They noted that there was an inadequate amount of staff and the temperature of the tanks storing genetic materials hadn't been noted for weeks. The lawsuit also said that the backup cryogenic tank wasn't equipped with an alarm to alert workers if the temperature reached an unsafe level. According to the inspector, Vasquez was spotted opening a storage tank containing embryos and sperm without the proper protective equipment on. Other notes made during the visit indicated there was broken glass and an 'unidentified sticky substance' inside the lab. Through his lawyer's, Vasquez, seen here, had denied any responsibility for the doors to the facility being left unlocked Resignation letters seen by the outlet also point to a clinic in chaos, with some claiming staff turnover, lack of support and of key lab personnel being issues. A statement from a junior embryologist said her training had also been inadequate, saying in a court filing that it felt like staff were outside for their scope of practice. Schacher had started IVF treatment with the facility in 2023, she had ten eggs manually removed from her ovaries with only one ruled to be viable after insemination. After an embryo transfer Schacher suffered a miscarriage due to a chemical pregnancy, which is rare for a genetically tested embryo. She questioned Vasquez about this, who told her 'that just happens', saying to The Cut that he tended to go on tangents and talk fast. A subsequent probe by News Channel 5 uncovered that Dyer, seen here, wasn't even a licensed doctor at the facility Schacher said: 'He would just kind of go in circles about why something didn’t work. I didn’t really know how much more to dig.' Read More I was told I was too old to be a mother aged 40 - but after 29 rounds of IVF, I have three children Now on her last chance of IVF through her insurance, a provider at the facility named Farere Dyer helped her with her treatment plan, with Vasquez performing another retrieval which found no viable embryos. A subsequent probe by News Channel 5 uncovered that Dyer wasn't a licensed doctor. Patients the outlet spoke to say he had introduced himself as Dr. Dyer, and even the clinic referred to him as such. Her and her husband then purchased eight eggs for $10,000 and the eggs were fertilized in January of this year. She was told that seven eggs had been successfully fertilized, and to expect a call. Which never came due to the shortage of staff and imminent closure. A lab worker eventually reached out to explain that two of the embryos had turned into blastocysts, a good indication. Couple Peter Ricci and Allena Berry were not so lucky however, after found out having gone to the facility in 2022 to pursue surrogacy. Berry told The Cut that she had been diagnosed with ovarian cancer and undergone a hysterectomy and oophorectomy as part of her treatment. They used donor eggs and Ricci's sperm to create one embryo that they had hoped to use on a surrogate. In May of 2023 they moved to Illinois and decided to switch clinics to save traveling across the country. Read More Republicans tank bill securing access to IVF nationwide in election year win for Democrats Once registered at a new place, they were told they had been missing a vital document that is required by the FDA to prove a clinic thoroughly carried out all tests when creating an embryo. They were also informed that even if they did have the document, the new facility in Illinois would not accept the embryo as the donor was a carrier for spinal muscular atrophy. In total they spent over $40,000 with Vasquez and his company. They had to restart the whole process from scratch with a new egg donor at a different facility. Berry's father was diagnosed with dementia in 2020, she said: 'I really want my dad to know our kid and have some memory of that. That’s not going to happen anymore.' The couple have since created four new embryos and had one embryo transfer with a surrogate that didn't result in a pregnancy. Just last week, Schacher announced on her social media that after five years of trying she and her husband were expecting a baby boy in May of next year Other patients told the outlet that they felt pushed towards donor materials, which cost around $10,000 for some. Another said they had been pitched a curated approach but once it started she only received a 'disorganized and unclear' approach. After the closure, the genetic materials were moved to a new clinic at the Tennessee Fertility Institute. The facility told The Cut that they have since completed an inventory but patients still remain in limbo on whether or not what was rescued is still viable. The attorney general's office is still investigating the case as part of their consumer affairs. Vasquez counterclaimed in June and denied the allegations, saying they had defamed him. After the facility closed, Schacher was wracked with worry that her access to IVF would be cut short before she could have her embryos implanted. In a grant application for funds to help towards payments, she said: 'I hope someone reads our story and feels the desperation and desire I have to become a mom. 'I have been fighting for five years and I don’t plan to stop', a family subsequently reached out to her her and offered their two embryos for adoption. Speaking in August, she said: 'You just have to keep living in the hopes that one day you’re going to get that phone call that you can finally move on and that you can move forward.' Just last week, she announced on her social media that after five years of trying she and her husband were expecting a baby boy in May of next year. Illinois Tennessee Share or comment on this article: Families stunned as Nashville fertility clinic abruptly closes... with all their embryos inside e-mail Add comment