Camp Mystic Nurse License Suspended by Texas Board of Nursing After Flood That Killed 27

The board’s order outlines six categories of charges against Eastland: failure to develop and maintain adequate emergency plans and training protocols for campers, staff, and camp nurses; failure to implement emergency procedures during the flood itself; abandonment of campers and staff during the crisis; failure to report deaths to state health regulators within the required 24 hours; improper delegation of medical authority; and medication handling and HIPAA violations, as detailed by FOX 4 Dallas-Fort Worth.

The most pointed allegation involves what the board describes as abandonment. According to the order: “Respondent abandoned the campers and staff when the camp site began to flood at approximately 0200 by evacuating herself and her children to higher ground without providing any assistance or direction.”

The board concluded that, given the nature of the six charges, “the continued practice of nursing by MARY ELIZABETH EASTLAND constitutes a continuing and imminent threat to public welfare,” justifying the temporary suspension of her license.

Floodwaters from the Guadalupe River began rising at the camp around 2 a.m. on July 4, 2025. The board alleges Eastland evacuated herself and her own children to higher ground without alerting her nursing team, contacting emergency services, or providing direction to campers and staff — even after she became aware that people were missing, according to WFAA’s review of the order.

In total, 25 campers and two teenage counselors died at the camp. Richard Eastland, the camp’s longtime owner and Mary Liz Eastland’s father-in-law, also died in the flood, CBS News Texas reported. At the time, hundreds of girls and staff were on the property.

At an April 2026 administrative hearing in Austin, Eastland testified that she could not recall when she first learned campers had died. When pressed about her rescue efforts, she said: “I couldn’t go find anybody else.” That testimony is now central to the board’s case.

Camp Mystic has announced it will not reopen this summer amid mounting pressure from grieving families, some of whom have publicly called on the state to revoke the camp’s operating license.

Another nurse who was present that night, Devon Williams, documented her own evacuation efforts on social media — a firsthand account that stood in notable contrast to the board’s description of Eastland’s actions.

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For nurses working in camps, schools, occupational health, or any field setting outside a hospital, this case is an unfortunate reminder that a registered nurse’s legal duty extends well beyond bedside care. The Texas Board of Nursing framed Eastland’s alleged failures as nursing practice violations — not just camp management failures. The board’s argument is that emergency preparedness, mandatory reporting, medication oversight, and HIPAA compliance follow the license, regardless of setting.

A few practical takeaways for nurses in similar roles:

• Emergency planning is a nursing responsibility. If you are the designated health authority for a facility, written emergency and evacuation protocols — plus regular staff drills — are part of safe practice.
• Reporting obligations are non-negotiable. Texas administrative code requires reporting of deaths to state health regulators within 24 hours, and most states have similar mandatory timelines for camps, schools, and long-term care.
• Scope of practice still applies in dual roles. Wearing multiple hats — director plus nurse — does not lower the standard a licensing board will apply to your nursing decisions. If anything, it raises it.
• Document, delegate carefully, and protect PHI. The board flagged improper delegation of medical authority and HIPAA issues, both of which are easy to overlook when one nurse is stretched across multiple responsibilities.

The case is also a reminder that license discipline can move quickly when a board concludes the public is at risk — well before any criminal or civil case is resolved.

🤔 This case raises hard questions about what we can reasonably expect of a single nurse in an impossible situation. Share your thoughts in the comments below.