BURLESON, Texas — The wife of a 48-year-old man who is in the ICU battling COVID has filed a petition in Tarrant County court to urge doctors at a Burleson hospital to treat him with ivermectin.
Jason Jones is currently intubated at Texas Health Huguley Hospital Fort Worth South and diagnosed with COVID-19, according to court documents.
A petition was filed by his wife, Erin Jones, for emergency medical declaratory judgment and emergency injunctive relief. According to a GoFundMe set up for the family, he and Erin have six children and he has been in law enforcement for 28 years, serving with Tarrant County Sheriff’s Department for the last 12 years.
The petition alleges that the doctors at the hospital have taken a "'wait and see' approach towards any further treatment" of Jason. It says that Jones' doctor, Dr. Mary Bowden, has prescribed ivermectin to be administered to him "in an effort to save Mr. Jones' life."
Bowden has to wait to treat Jones until the issue with the court case is resolved by the appeals court, Jones' attorney said.
The petition says that the doctors have refused to administer ivermectin, which has not been FDA approved to treat COVID in humans or animals, saying it hasn’t proved effective in pre-clinical trials. Ivermectin is commonly used to treat parasites in animals. The FDA has warned people against taking it.
Erin Jones seeks a declaration "determining the rights of the parties" including that the hospital is compelled to "honor the decisions" of the Joneses and recognize Bowden's "medical order."
According to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, the hospital has since filed an appeal to pause a trial court’s order issued Nov. 8, which would have granted Bowden temporary privileges at the hospital. The order has been put on hold pending the Texas Second Court of Appeals’ consideration of the case. Both parties have to submit briefs with their arguments by Wednesday to be reviewed by the court, the Star-Telegram reported.
"Texas Health Huguley Hospital said in its appeal that the prescription and administration of Ivermectin to Jones would be medically inappropriate and that Bowden did not examine him before prescribing it, according to court documents," the Star-Telegram reported.
Bowden, an ear, nose and throat doctor, was suspended from Houston Methodist for spreading "dangerous misinformation which is not based in science" about COVID-19, the hospital said. She defended herself and told KHOU that she isn't "doing anything dangerous." She planned to hold a news conference Wednesday in Houston.
Jason's COVID battle
Jason was diagnosed with COVID on Sept. 23, the petition says. He was admitted to the hospital via ambulance. He was treated from Sept. 23 to Oct. 7 through the hospital's COVID protocols, including steroids and antibiotics, the petition says.
On Oct. 7, his condition worsened and he had to be transferred to the hospital ICU where he was sedated, intubated and placed on a ventilator. Since then, he has been in a medically-induced coma, continuing to decline, the petition says.
It says his chances of survival have dropped to less than 30%.
Erin says in the petition that she does not want to see Jason die and that "she is doing everything she can to give her husband a chance to live."
The petition also says that she offered to sign a release to remove any liability to the hospital, doctors and third parties from liability if they gave Jason with ivermectin.
