Toddler transferred between hospitals after drowning, lawsuit

Annelise Camp, a 2-year-old who suffered a drowning accident on Memorial Day, was transferred to a Louisiana hospital after Texas Children’s Hospital said it exhausted treatment options. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton wrote on social media that Ochsner Children's Hospital, in New Orleans, would provide her with specialized care. Michelle Smith, an adviser to Paxton, said Wednesday night that Camp arrived safely at the hospital.

Camp’s heartbeat returned after the accident, but she has remained unconscious and on life support. Her parents sued Texas Children’s in early June to delay brain death testing while seeking transfer options, according to a Houston-area Fox affiliate. The Texas hospital said in a statement that it delayed testing and reached out to at least 24 other hospitals seeking a transfer after exhausting all care options.

What’s next for Camp? The child’s grandfather, Christian musician Steve Camp, said Wednesday that the next steps for her treatment would include a tracheotomy, stem cells, and hyperbaric therapy. He said roughly a week ago that, with the exception of her brain, her organs had shown signs of improvement. Similar treatments at Ochsner Health previously helped a child in a similar condition improve, according to Smith, Paxton’s adviser.