Houston Methodist Hospital suspends doctor who advocated use of ivermectin to treat COVID patients
By maryvillarealdw // 2021-11-18
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Houston Methodist Hospital suspended the privileges of ear, nose and throat specialist (ENT) Dr. Mary Bowden for allegedly spreading dangerous misinformation about Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) treatments. Bowden, who ran her own private practice before joining the staff at Houston Methodist, claims that during her time at the hospital, she has treated over 2,000 COVID-19 patients and has been outspoken on social media regarding vaccine mandates and treatments. "The issues with vaccines and ivermectin really go against patient autonomy and their right to choose their treatment," she said. She also said that some people are being discriminated against because they have not been vaccinated, prompting her to send out an email saying she was going to prioritize those who are unvaccinated and stressing that she would never turn away a patient. As a result, Houston Methodist stopped Bowden from posting about hospital policies on her social media accounts by suspending her hospital privileges. (Related: The biggest crime committed during the vaccine heist is the censorship of ivermectin.) In a series of tweets, the hospital stated: "Dr. Mary Bowden, who recently joined the medical staff at Houston Methodist Hospital, is using her social media accounts to express her personal and political opinions about the COVID-19 vaccine and treatments.

"These opinions, which are harmful to the community, do not reflect reliable medical evidence or the values of Houston Methodist, where we have treated more than 25,000 COVID-19 inpatients, and where all our employees and physicians are vaccinated to protect our patients.

"Despite what she has posted, Houston Methodist does not and will never deny care to a patient based on vaccination status. Dr. Bowden, who has never admitted a patient at Houston Methodist Hospital, is spreading dangerous misinformation which is not based in science.

"Furthermore, Dr. Bowden has told Houston Methodist that she is vaccinated, as required of all physicians who practice at Houston Methodist."

Doctor shifts focus on treating the unvaccinated

Bowden has previously been involved in a lawsuit with another hospital over her use of ivermectin for COVID-19 patients. Texas Health Huguley Hospital refused to allow Bowden to use ivermectin on Jason Jones, a patient who has been hospitalized with COVID-19 for over a month.

The hospital insists that ivermectin would be medically inappropriate. A trial court issued an order that would give Bowden temporary privileges at the hospital, but they appealed to block it. The case is now on hold.

On her practice's website, Bowden said that she is shifting her focus on treating the unvaccinated. "In order to make room for unvaccinated who cannot find care, I will not be accepting new patients with routine ENT problems who are vaccinated," she said. Bowden added that she will continue to care for her established patients and won't turn away anyone with life-threatening illnesses based on their vaccination status. In an interview, she said that she has "loose" ties with Houston Methodist and is not an employee. She had privileges in case one of her patients needed to be admitted, but she mentioned that she will no longer be sending her patients to the Methodist emergency room. In a statement, Bowden said that she first heard of her suspension when a newspaper reached out to her for confirmation. She said that nobody from the hospital bothered to talk to her about their concerns and that she received an email regarding her suspension from a staff member she never met before. "I've been very disappointed with how Methodist has handled this," she shared. "I don't consider myself dangerous, and I submitted my letter of resignation to them this morning. I have been overwhelmed by the positive support I've received from my patients and from people around the world thanking me for standing up for my beliefs.  This will not alter my practice and I will continue to treat COVID early and aggressively." Learn more about how COVID-19 is being treated at Pandemic.news. Sources include: Click2Houston.com CBSNews.com
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