WILLS POINT, Texas — One East Texas family is desperate for help.
Lisa Collins, a nurse with Crestwood Health and Rehabilitation in Wills Point, believes she contracted COVID-19 on the job. She has spent more than two weeks on a ventilator, fighting for her life.
“She is still on the vent. She’s making eye contact, but that’s it. She cannot move her arms or her legs right now," Collins' sister Bethany Jackson said. “Her kidneys have shut down, too, and she’s on dialysis. They’re going to try to get her kidneys flushed out to where maybe the paralytic will be flushed out and she can start moving her arms and her legs.”
Jackson says Collins became sick after working with a newly-admitted patient. Jackson claimed the patient had not been screened for COVID-19 prior to admission but tested positive after getting sick and visiting the hospital a couple days later.
“On May the 20, which was a Wednesday, my sister started running a 103 fever,” Jackson said. “The job would not let her leave. They told her to go stand in front of a fan, take off her mask and her PPE equipment and stand in the fan and try to cool off. My sister worked the rest of her 12-hour shift with a 103-104 fever.”
Jackson says Collins' supervisors threatened her when she tried to call out sick the next day. She refused to come in and even gave her two weeks’ notice out of anger. However, she remains severely ill in a Tyler hospital and she might not have insurance much longer.
“She does at the moment, but if the premiums aren’t paid, she won’t get insurance any more. They’ll cancel her. I’ve called the insurance company, or her corporate, to see about trying to pay the premiums, but nobody will call me back," Jackson explained. "And it’s very scary, cause my sister’s life is at stake and nobody seems to care.”
The family created a GoFundMe account to raise money for Collins’ medical expenses. Her sister wants everyone to know how dangerous COVID-19 can be.
“People think this is a joke, or a government scam, or whatever. It’s real,” Jackson stated. “My sister’s life is at stake and she has COVID and this is what caused all her problems. She was a healthy woman before, with no underlying issues. Now she’s on a vent, can’t speak, can’t move. It’s real.”
In a written statement, Ryan Reese, Crestwood's executive director, said:
"In terms of her family’s stated concerns, I can tell you that I am not sure the media is the correct forum to address and resolve them. However, I would encourage the family members to call me directly at the Facility, as I would be happy to respond to their questions or explain the facts as I understand them so they can obtain the answers they are looking for.
"Generally speaking, I can share the following with you:
- Our residents are tested for the presence of COVID-19 before they are admitted.
- If any member of our staff develops signs and symptoms consistent with COVID-19, including an elevated temperature, they will be sent home immediately.
- Our employees are exceptionally valuable members of the Crestwood community – without them, we cannot do what we do. We work daily to provide our team with a positive and rewarding work environment, and are grateful for the commitment of the staff to the residents, to one another, and to the ministry of post-acute care."
