The Texas nurse who contracted Ebola while treating a patient is expected to file a lawsuit Monday against her employer, Texas Health Dallas and its parent company, Texas Health Resources, according to the Dallas Morning News.
Nina Pham, 26, says the hospital and Texas Health Resources failed her and her colleagues who cared for Thomas Eric Duncan, who died from Ebola last fall at the Dallas hospital.
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“I wanted to believe that they would have my back and take care of me, but they just haven’t risen to the occasion,” Pham told The Dallas Morning News last week.
Pham alleges the hospital knew of the impending medical crisis yet failed to provide training and proper equipment, including protective gear, to treat Ebola patients.
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After she and another nurse, Amber Vinson, contracted the disease from Duncan, other nurses risked their lives later in treating them, she said.
Experimental drugs were used to cure Pham, who said she continues to suffer from nightmares, body aches and insomnia.
The case violated her privacy as she became “a symbol of corporate neglect,” she told the Dallas Morning News.
Pham wants unspecified damages for physical pain and mental anguish, medical expenses and loss of future earnings.
Texas Health Resources spokesman Wendell Watson declined to address Pham’s allegations but said the hospital continues to support and wish the best for her, remaining optimistic that “constructive dialogue can resolve this matter.”
Healthcare Finance will update this story once the lawsuit is filed.
Twitter: @SusanMorseHFN