By Cheryl Smith
Texas Metro News
When the death of retired U.S. Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson was announced on December 31, 2023, shock turned to outrage once details of her treatment were revealed.
Her death certificate listed the cause of death as a bone infection in her lumbar spine and according to attorney Les Weisbrod and her son, Kirk Johnson, improper care at Baylor Scott & White Health System’s hospital’s rehabilitation center, following back surgery was the cause.
At a press conference in January, the intent to sue Baylor Scott & White Health System and Baylor Scott & White Institute for Rehabilitation for negligence was announced.
Her only child’s voice cracked as he described the excruciating pain his mother endured as she lay unattended with her open wounds exposed.
As someone who spent her life helping others, the thought of her not receiving care was heart-wrenching.
He detailed how she contacted him after calling for assistance from staff numerous times without receiving a response. When he arrived at the facility, he found his mother lying in her waste, and still no one had come to render aid. Even his calls for help were initially ignored and representatives said staff members were in a training session.
On Thursday another press conference was held to announce the renaming of the Baylor Scott & White Advanced Nursing Excellence Scholarship Program to the Eddie Bernice Johnson Scholarship Program, benefiting employees who want to pursue or advance a nursing degree.
The family also announced the establishment of the Eddie Bernice Johnson Lives Foundation, with support from Baylor.
Weisbrod said the arrangements were a “peaceful resolution” that avoided a lawsuit and Baylor actually suggested the charitable foundation and the idea to rename the nursing scholarship program.
All along there was talk of the irony that the congresswoman was a nurse, actually the first nurse to serve in the Texas House and Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives, only to find herself receiving inadequate care.
The outcry helped lead to a resolution that Mr. Johnson said his family was at peace with. He believed the foundation would allow her interests to continue to live. “We want her impact to continue to be felt.”
Weisbrod agreed, as he talked about legislation that allows for caps in medical malpractice cases and asked for help in getting legislators to revisit awards to those victims. “The court of public opinion can be more powerful than the court of law,” he said.
Weisbrod is a medical malpractice attorney and a long-time friend and the congresswoman’s “personal attorney for more than 45 years.” He said current caps are not keeping up with inflation for pain and suffering, which is $250,000 and $750,000 for punitive damages.
Without sharing the details of the Johnson settlement, he said the congresswoman believed in compromise and always wanted a peaceful resolution.
“It will allow the family to do good in the Congresswoman’s name,” he added.
Born in Waco, TX, to Edward and Lillie Mae Johnson, the Congresswoman graduated from A.J. Moore High School where she was a schoolmate of another former Texas State Representative, Zan Wesley Holmes, Jr.
She obtained her nursing certificate from Saint Mary’s College of Notre Dame in 1955, then transferred to Texas Christian University where she graduated with a bachelor’s degree in nursing. In 1976 Ms. Johnson earned a Master of Public Administration from Southern Methodist University.
A champion of STEM, women’s rights, veterans, fair housing, transportation, the Affordable Care Act, the Women, and “EBJ” as many affectionately call her, stayed true to her beliefs and convictions. She also founded the Tri-Caucus (CBC, CHC, and CAPAC) and the Dallas Coalition of Hunger Solutions.
She accumulated several firsts during her lifetime. She was the first African American to serve as Chief Psychiatric Nurse at the Dallas Veterans Administration Hospital. When elected to the Texas House of Representatives, she became the first African American woman in Dallas to be elected to office.
Additionally, Cong. Johnson, a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. and Links Inc., was the first African American and first female chair of the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology. When then-President Jimmy Carter named her the Department of Health Education and Welfare regional director, she was the first African American to serve in that capacity.
She also has the distinction of having a Dallas ISD elementary school in Wilmer, Texas, named in her honor, along with Dallas Union Station which is officially known as “Eddie Bernice Johnson Union Station.”
When she retired from Congress at the end of the 117th session; Cong. Johnson was the oldest member of the House of Representatives.
You can find out more about the Foundation at www.eddiebernicejohnsonlives.org. Mr. Johnson also announced that her autobiography would be coming out shortly.
