On behalf of Hastings Law Firm P.C. posted in Hospital Negligence on Tuesday, March 17, 2015.
With seriously ill or immunosuppressed patients, hospitals must maintain the safest environment possible for all those present. This applies to more than just the patients and their visitors, but to the hospital staff as well. After contracting and beating the deadly Ebola virus, one Texas nurse claims that she was a victim of hospital negligence at her work place.
In Oct. 2014, a Texas hospital treated a man who had contracted Ebola while visiting Africa. Only three days after the man died of complications from the virus, one of the nurses that cared for him tested positive for Ebola. She believes that, had the hospital actually provided her and her co-workers with the necessary training for treating a patient infected with Ebola, she might not have contracted the virus in the first place.
Furthermore, it is possible that the federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) might have been violated when the news broke of her infection. According to the nurse, she specifically requested that no personal or identifying information about her be released to the public. The hospital denies this allegation and says that she gave her consent to have personal information shared with the public.
Because of what her lawsuit describes as negligent behavior, she did not have access to the proper information or protective equipment necessary to protect herself while treating the Ebola stricken patient. Besides the alleged hospital negligence and possible HIPAA violation, the victim has stated that the hospital was less than honest about the events that led up to her infection. If successfully litigated, her claim can provide invaluable financial recourse, but may also help her find closure for the ordeal which she suffered.
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