Family Announces Resolution to Claims Following Eddie Bernice Johnson’s Death – NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth

The family of late U.S. Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson said they had reached an agreement with Baylor Scott and White Health regarding her care before her death last year.

While financial terms remain confidential, Kirk Johnson explains that her legacy will live on in a newly established foundation.

“We want their influence to continue to be felt in this community,” Johnson said.

Johnson says the creation of the Eddie Bernice Johnson Lives Foundation is a sign that her influence will continue.

Family attorney Les Weisbrod said Baylor Scott and White Health would make an unspecified monetary donation to the foundation.

The announcement comes nearly six months after Weisbrod and Johnson’s son fought back tears during a news conference four days after the groundbreaking lawmaker’s death.

Kirk Johnson said his mother was left lying on a dirty bed for an hour at the Baylor Scott and White Institute for Rehabilitation in Dallas, where she was recovering from back surgery.

Instead, she contracted an infection that, according to her family, ultimately cost the 89-year-old congressional icon her life on December 31.

“She was ignored,” Johnson said on Jan. 4. “She was screaming in pain and begging for help.”

Weisbrod said Thursday after the initial news conference that Baylor Scott & White Health contacted the family to support Johnson’s foundation and rename a nursing scholarship in her name, calling the donation “very generous.”

“Sometimes the court of public opinion can be more powerful than the court of law,” Weisbrod said.

“If we can do good and avoid litigation, it’s a win-win situation for everyone involved.”

He added that he had received assurances from Baylor that the rehabilitation facility was reviewing its policies and procedures to ensure that similar patient neglect did not occur in the future.

Baylor Scott and White Health told NBC 5 in a statement that Eddie Bernice Johnson is a friend and advocate for the communities they serve.

“She is an inspiration to all. It has long been our priority to keep her life’s work alive. Together with her family, we are delighted to name a nursing scholarship program after her,” a spokesperson said.

Kirk Johnson says the family looks forward to awarding grants to nonprofits that embody the spirit his mother championed during her five-decade career in public service.

“We are at peace,” Johnson said. “We must accept God’s will, but their initiatives and their interests will live on.”