Camp Mystic health officer may practice nursing again under limited Texas license, board says
A week after temporarily suspending the nursing license of the chief health officer for Camp Mystic, the Texas summer camp where 27 girls were killed in a flood last year, the Texas Board of Nursing said Mary Elizabeth Eastland may practice with a limited license.
The board temporarily suspended Eastland's license following its investigation into the deadly July 4, 2025, flood.
According to an agreed order approved May 19, the board found Eastland failed to ensure the camp's emergency nursing manual included adequate emergency planning procedures, failed to contact 911 after campers and staff were reported missing and failed to report the deaths to state authorities within the required 24-hour timeframe. According to the order, this created an unsafe environment that likely contributed to physical, emotional and psychological harm as well as loss of life.
The order also alleges Eastland allowed camp nurses to administer medications under inadequate standing orders between March and July 2025.
Eastland, a registered nurse since 2008 and Camp Mystic's chief health officer for 16 years, neither admitted nor denied the allegations but agreed to disciplinary action.
Her license was reinstated on Tuesday with stipulations, including restrictions barring her from direct patient care while under the order. She must also complete a board-approved nursing jurisprudence and ethics course within one year.
Following the board's updated action, attorney Joshua Fiveson released the following statement:
"We are grateful that the Texas Board of Nursing has allowed Mrs. Eastland to continue practicing under a limited license. While she has no intention of again serving as a camp nurse, Mrs. Eastland remains committed to her professional calling and thanks the Board for that privilege. The families of all those lost to the July 4, 2025, flood will forever remain in Mrs. Eastland's heart and prayers."
