FORT PIERCE, Fla. — A Lawnwood Regional Medical Center nurse is fighting her life after being diagnosed with coronavirus for the second time.
Now, Genea Bristol's family is trying to get her transferred to a different hospital with higher success rates for Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation machines.
"The plan for tonight is to draw awareness and hopefully that someone out there will have compassion and accept Genea into their facility," said Bilinda Bristol, Genea's mother.
Bristol said that Lawnwood is not capable of catering to her daughter's condition.
"I spoke with a few people on staff, and I was told that they only have four people on ECMO," said Bristol.
She said there have been headaches trying to get a transfer fulfilled.
"The hospital is blaming it on the receiving hospital," said attorney Reggie Sessions. "The receiving hospital is blaming it on Lawnwood."
A representative from Lawnwood Regional Medical Center said the hospital "is committed to providing the highest level of care to all of our patients, and if a patient is clinically able to be transferred and there is an accepting facility with an accepting provider, our hospital will accommodate patient and family wishes."
"There's a possibility that we can save it by any means necessary getting her to a proper place, and that's what we need to do," said Sessions. "No questions asked. Just do it."
Bristol said she tried getting Genea transferred to a Central Florida hospital but that the request was denied.
