Ebola and Texas Heath Presbyterian: Human tragedy turns to PR nightmare

Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Dallas will at the very least go down in medical history as the place where Liberian Thomas Eric Duncan was diagnosed with the first case of Ebola in the United States, and the place where Duncan eventually died.

It's also the place that misdiagnosed Duncan initially and sent him back into the community, contagious, with an antibiotic powerless against the disease. And Presbyterian is the place where two nurses who provided care for Duncan developed Ebola themselves despite wearing protective gear.

The events of the past month at the hospital called "Presby" by its doctors, nurses and patients have left those health care workers operating at the intersection of human tragedy and a public relations nightmare.

The long-term impact on the hospital and its image is impossible to quantify, but potentially significant, said Dan Mendelson, CEO of Avalere Health, a Washington, D.C., consulting firm.

"It can be as large as the fate of the hospital and, on the other side, it can be a positive if they deal with it well," Mendelson said. "The public at this point understands that this is a highly difficult, aberrant situation, and the question becomes, how does Presbyterian deal with that?"

Step one on the public image recovery path seems to be saying you're sorry.

Presbyterian apologized for making "mistakes" in a letter published in full-page ads in two local newspapers Sunday.

"The fact the Mr. Duncan had traveled to Africa was not communicated effectively," said the letter, written by Texas Health Resources CEO Barclay Berdan. "For that we are deeply sorry."

Bill covers health care, law, education and general assignments. Subscribe to our email newsletters.