The late former Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX) died due to medical negligence that left her immobile and lying in a bed covered in her own feces for at least an hour, her family alleged during a Thursday press conference.
Family members indicated that they plan to file suit against the Dallas medical center where she died at 88 earlier this week, the Baylor Scott & White Institute for Rehabilitation, unless a settlement can be reached over the next few weeks.
Johnson broke barriers growing up in Dallas, becoming the first Black nurse at the city’s Veterans Administration Hospital in 1956 and later became the first Black state senator to represent the city.
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Later, she served as the regional director of the U.S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare under President Jimmy Carter.
Johnson had served 15 terms in Congress since she took office in 1992, becoming chairwoman of the Congressional Black Caucus in 2001. She retired early last year.
“If she had gotten the proper care, she would be here today,” Johnson’s son, Kirk, told reporters Thursday. “She had no reason not to be here.”
Her family outlined the alleged incident in which the celebrated politician was left to sit in her own excrement following back surgery, leading to an infection that culminated in her “terrible, painful death” on Dec. 31, the Texas Tribune reported.
Kirk Johnson said he last spoke with his mother during a heartbreaking conversation on Christmas Day, claiming that she knew she was approaching death.
“She thought that she would live three weeks,” he said. “But she didn’t.”
A spokesperson for the facility lauded Johnson as an “inspiration” in a statement to The Texas Tribune, but said the company could not comment on the allegations due to patient privacy laws.
“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,” Matt Olivolo, a spokesman for Baylor Scott & White Health, told the publication. “Out of respect for patient privacy, we must limit our comments.”
Johnson divorced her husband Lacey Kirk Johnson in 1970 and is survived by their son and her three grandchildren.
Read it at Texas Tribune
