The head nurse at Camp Mystic in Texas, where 25 little girls died in flooding last summer, has had her nursing license suspended after admitting she abandoned kids during the horror.
The Texas Board of Nursing ruled last week that Mary Liz Eastland — whose family owns the facility catering to the state’s rich and famous and who served as its chief health officer — would present a “continuing and imminent threat to the public welfare” if she were allowed to keep practicing, according to the order obtained by Houston Public Media.
Mary Liz Eastland leaves a congressional hearing after testifying about the July 4 disaster. AP
Destroyed furniture and belongings are all that’s left of a children’s cabin at the Texas camp. REUTERS
A layout of Camp Mystic shows it was at the confluence of the Guadalupe River and another creek. APEastland has been accused of abandoning her duties by leaving children behindas waters from the Guadalupe River in Kerr County surged into the camp July 4, killing 28 in all — 25 kids, two teen counselors and Eastland’s father-in-law, camp Director Dick Eastland.
Dozens of kids found themselves trapped in their cabins or carried off in the torrent during the horrific tragedy.
Eastland’s suspension came one month after she replied “yes” when asked on the stand during a court hearing whether she abandoned campers who needed her help.
Belongings from tragic campers remain on the ground after the flood. REUTERS
The nursing board also claimed Eastland did not properly do her job by having adequare emergency plans and protocols in place.
In addition, she did not report the 27 deaths to state health authorities within a 24-hour window as required — an intentionally “deceptive” move meant to avoid accountability, the board said.
Eastland stands to lose her nursing license forever, pending a final hearing.
“This is a sad day for Mrs. Eastland as well as every licensed nurse in Texas,” Camp Mystic said in a statement, according to People magazine.
The camp’s lawyer, Joshua Fiveson, added to NBC, “Eastland rejects the findings and will fight the suspension.”
Another cabin lies in ruins after the floodwaters receded. REUTERS
Locals place a memorial near the Guadalupe River. REUTERS
Eastland testifies before Congress. Mikayla Compton/Austin American-Statesman via APEastland and her family found themselves grilled by a judge in April after they tried to reopen the camp this summer.
Wrongful-death lawsuits have been filed against the camp by families of those killed, including 8-year-old Cecilia “Cile” Steward.
Camp director Edward Eastland sobbed on the stand during one hearing, revealing he has no idea what happened to still-missing camper Cile.
Under grilling by the family’s lawyer, Brad Beckworth, Eastland admitted that the camp botched simple measures that could have saved lives that day, such as failing to use the loudspeaker to evacuate the grounds and not meeting ahead of time with staffers to discuss the coming storm.
