Jahi McMath may be transferred to treatment center in New York

The last hope for Jahi McMath to be kept on a ventilator may come from a former Long Island hairdresser who runs a brain-injury treatment center dedicated to Terri Schiavo, the Florida woman whose case sparked a fierce nationwide end-of-life debate.

The news of the possible transfer came as the state Department of Public Health confirmed Tuesday it is investigating Children's Hospital Oakland and its handling of the Oakland 13-year-old after her tonsil surgery and two other procedures to remove throat and nasal tissue, complications from which left her brain dead.

On Tuesday, the Terri Schiavo Life & Hope Network said publicly for the first time that it has been helping Jahi's family for weeks to find a place to transfer her. The network has worked "in relative silence for the sake of the sensitivity of her case."

Nailah Winkfield, center, mother of 13-year-old Jahi McMath, greets well-wishers outside Children's Hospital Oakland, Monday, Dec. 30, 2013 in Oakland, Calif. A judge granted an injunction to the family to keep the girl, who is brain-dead, on a ventilator until at least Jan. 7. (D. Ross Cameron/Bay Area News Group) ( D. ROSS CAMERON )

"Jahi McMath has been labeled a 'deceased' person. Yet she retains all the functional attributes of a living person, despite her brain injury," the organization said in a news release. "This includes a beating heart, circulation and respiration, the ability to metabolize nutrition and more. Jahi is a living human being."

According to a court filing from the family's attorney, the family is hoping to transfer Jahi into the care of the New Beginnings Community Center in Medford, N.Y.

New Beginnings founder and owner Allyson Scerri shared a statement on her Facebook page Tuesday explaining how her facility "is about preserving life and treating brain-injured patients with care and dignity."

"We do encourage every citizen to take the time to educate themselves more clearly on the issues of what brain death is and what it is not," the New Beginnings statement read. "This child has been defined as a deceased person, yet she has all the functional attributes of a living person despite her brain injury."

Jahi came to the hospital Dec. 9 for three procedures to treat her sleep apnea. But complications led to extensive bleeding and cardiac arrest; six doctors declared her brain dead, including an expert in pediatric neurology from Lucile Packard Children's Hospital.

The hospital has said it would transfer Jahi if her family and attorney meet certain conditions. On Monday, a judge extended an order keeping the girl on a ventilator through Jan. 7.

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Jahi McMath may be transferred to treatment center in New York