ROGUE VALLEY, Ore.– A Bend hospital is being sued for $26.5 million by the family of a Jacksonville woman who died while receiving care there in 2017.
Thirty-two-year-old Casey Gwenyth Galusha-Beck died from septic shock following a breast infection. The lawsuit, filed in Deschutes County last Tuesday by her husband Jordan Beck, cites two doctors from the St. Charles Health System as co-defendants and alleges they were negligent in their treatment which led to Beck’s death.
NBC5 News reached out to both parties to learn more about the incident and the current lawsuit. Lisa Goodman, spokesperson for St. Charles Memorial Hospital, said it couldn’t comment on current litigation. Representatives of the family did not return our calls.
According to the filed complaint, on January 2, 2017, Galusha-Beck went to the emergency room at the Bend hospital for symptoms of abdominal pain, low blood pressure, nausea, vomiting, and low glucose levels. While there she was successfully treated for an infection caused by mastitis but symptoms continued to prevail.
The suit lists internal medicine specialists Dr. Farah Madhani-Lovely and Dr. Jason Hughson as co-defendants.
It states Madhani-Lovely assumed care for Galusha-Beck from January 3 – 5 wherein failed to diagnose her with adrenal insufficiency – a disorder that occurs when the adrenal glands don’t produce enough of certain hormones.
The suit says she had symptoms of adrenal insufficiency. On January 8, Dr. Hughson assumed care and cortisol level tests were performed with results showing levels at zero. It claims Hughson failed to administer hydrocortisone immediately when her cortisol levels were found to be “dangerously low.” Instead, it says hours passed while Hughson waited for the results of additional tests.
Galusha-Beck, however, fell into a circulatory collapse for an unknown amount of time before being resuscitated by hospital staff. She was brought back with severe brain damage and was diagnosed as being in a permanent vegetative state.
Several days later on January 17, she passed away.
At the time of Galusha-Beck’s passing, she left behind her husband Jordan and a three-year-old daughter and one-year-old son. A GoFundMe had been set up for the family in the aftermath of the events raising more than $70,000. It’s been since closed from any new donations.
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