Former Dallas congresswoman left ‘in her own feces’ at TX hospital. Family plans to sue

The family of Eddie Bernice Johnson accused the Baylor Scott & White health system of neglecting the late congresswoman after she recovered from a September back surgery.

The Johnson family said Thursday that they plan to sue the health system and that they believe Johnson’s treatment at a Baylor Scott & White rehabilitation hospital in September contributed to her death.

Johnson, the pioneering Black nurse, state lawmaker, and U.S. representative from Dallas, died Sunday at 89.

After undergoing back surgery in September, Johnson was recovering at the Baylor Scott & White Institute for Rehabilitation in Dallas, according to a statement from the Johnson family’s lawyer, Les Weisbrod.

On Sept. 21, when Johnson’s son went to visit his mother at the hospital, he found her “lying in her own feces and urine,” according to the statement. Johnson’s son said his mother had been “pushing the call button for a prolonged amount of time begging for help” with no response, according to the family.

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Three days after her son found her, one of Johnson’s surgery scars began having “copious purulent drainage,” according to doctor’s notes provided by the family. Laboratory wound culture reports showed that organisms in the scar were “directly related to feces,” according to the family’s statement.

Weisbrod, the family’s attorney, said he had sent a required pre-suit notice letter to Baylor Scott & White, which must be sent 60 days before a lawsuit is filed.

Weisbrod “is hopeful that the Baylor entities will seek to settle this matter before a lawsuit is filed,” he said in a statement.

After Johnson’s infection was repaired, she moved to a skilled nursing facility on Oct. 18 before returning to her home for hospice care on Dec. 18. Johnson was the first Black member of Congress from Dallas and the first registered nurse to serve in Congress.

A spokesperson for the health system said in an email: “Congresswoman Johnson was a longtime friend and champion in the communities we serve — she is an inspiration to all. We are committed to working directly with the Congresswoman’s family members and their counsel. Out of respect for patient privacy, we must limit our comments.”

Baylor Scott & White operates the largest nonprofit health care system in Texas, according to its financial disclosure documents.

The system includes 51 hospitals throughout the state. It is one of the largest health care systems in the Dallas-Fort Worth region, along with Texas Health Resources and the Hospital Corporation of America.