A Texas nurse sued Texas Health Resources, who owns Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital in Dallas, for ignoring the dangers of the Ebola virus.
Nina Pham treated Thomas Erin Duncan, who contracted Ebola in Liberia before traveling to Dallas. Pham contracted the virus three days after Duncan’s death.
According to the lawsuit, Pham received little information about protecting herself from contracting the virus. Her manager searched the information on Google to prepare for the treatment.
The lawsuit said Pham was told the protective gear would protect her from contracting the virus while treating the patient.
The lawsuit stated the hospital used Pham as a “PR tool” and lied that her condition was improving when the medical reports said otherwise.
A hospital staff member secretly filmed Pham with a GoPro camera in her hospital room, which violated her privacy.
After transferring to National Institutes of Health hospital in Maryland, Pham was discharged two weeks after the diagnosis. However, Pham was uncertain about her future as a critical care nurse after the Ebola outbreak.
Pham hoped the suit “will uncover the truth of what happened, and educate all health care providers and administrators about ways to be better prepared for the next public health emergency.”