FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
NANCY MACE CALLS OUT CATHERINE TEMPLETON FOR PUTTING CHILDREN’S LIVES AT RISK
As a child, Mace tested positive for exposure to Tuberculosis and knows firsthand how disgusting and life-threatening this is for ignoring the diagnosis in children
Charleston, S.C. – May 20, 2024 – Congresswoman Nancy Mace’s campaign called out Catherine Templeton for putting children’s lives at risk during the Tuberculosis outbreak under her short stint at the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC). Mace, who once tested positive for tuberculosis as a child, understands the gravity of the exposure to tuberculosis on children. What’s even more damning is that Templeton ignored the exposure outbreak after it was reported.
“As a child I was exposed to tuberculosis. I remember seeing the positive test results and I remember how scared I was as a kid, knowing tuberculosis can kill you,” said Congresswoman Nancy Mace. “I remember the urgency with which my mother, doctor and the school acted to ensure I received the medical attention I required, and did so immediately. It is unconscionable that Templeton’s lack of concern for those kids was on full display here. To make matters worse, hard-earned SC taxpayer dollars had to be spent to fix her mistake.”
After a school nurse reported to DHEC that children at an elementary school had been exposed to tuberculosis, it took Templeton more than one month to test the children for the disease. When parents at the school became outraged by DHEC’s slow response, Templeton fired the school nurse, claiming it was the nurse who “had not done her job,” even though the nurse is the one who reported the outbreak. Templeton’s decision to blame and fire the nurse cost SC taxpayers $150,000 to settle a wrongful termination lawsuit.
“Everyone understands the danger of this disease except Catherine Templeton. When our state’s children were relying on Templeton, she failed them,” added Mace.
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