Name of Victim: Josephine Hutchens
Age of Victim: 78
Sex of Victim: Female
What Is This Testimony About: Hospital Protocol Death
State: CA
Did the victim survive? No
Date of Death: 10/02/2021
Name of Hospital(s) victim was admitted to (List All that apply): St. Agnes Medical Hospital
Contact Name: Brittany Gilchrist
Relationship to Victim: Granddaughter
Was the victim a military Veteran? No
Was the victim considered special needs, or did they have any kind of disability? No
Was the victim admitted to the hospital? Yes
County Hospital is located in: Fresno
Date Admitted: 09/01/2021
Was the victim isolated at any time during hospitalization? Yes
Does the victim or family feel they were treated differently by hospital staff as a result of disclosing their vaccination status? Yes
Was the victim or family pressured to sign a Do Not Resuscitate? Yes
Was the victim physically restrained? Yes
Was the victim deprived of food and water while in the hospital? Yes
Was victim placed on a ventilator? Yes
What medications were administered to the victim by doctors or hospital staff? Adrenaline, Albuterol, Anxiety Medications, Baricitinib, Blood Pressure Medications, Decadron, Dilaudid, Enoxaparin sodium, Famotidine, Fentanyl, Insulin, Lorazepam, Midazolam, Morphine, Oxygen, Paralytics, Precedex, Propofol, Remdesivir, Sedatives, Sodium Chloride, Vasopressin, Vitamin C
What medications did the hospital explicitly refuse to administer to the victim? Budesonide, Ivermectin, Monoclonal Antibodies, Vitamin C
Has this incident been reported to any agency such as VAERS, HHS, JACHO, Medical Board or others? Hospital Administration
Place of Death: Hospital
Would you be interested in participating in podcasts or other media? Yes
They Took Her Voice, Her Choices, and Her Life
Josephine “Jo” Hutchens was a beloved wife, mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother whose life was rooted in faith, family, and service. To her granddaughter, Brittany Gilchrist, she was like a second mother—a strong, joyful woman who loved the Lord, her country, her church, cooking Southern food, gardening, antiques, horses, and making memories with her grandchildren.
In August 2021, Jo and her husband both became ill after returning from a family trip. Brittany, a registered nurse, and her mother moved in to care for them, monitoring their vital signs and giving them vitamins and support.
Jo’s husband was 90 years old, hard of hearing, visually impaired, and becoming weak. Brittany took him to Kaiser Permanente believing he needed fluids, oxygen, and medical evaluation. She promised him she would not leave him alone.
Hospital staff immediately separated them and refused to allow Brittany to remain as his advocate, despite his hearing and vision problems. When he learned, he would have to stay without her, he chose to leave. Brittany wheeled him out while a nurse followed them, accusing her of elder abuse.
He went home and he lived.
Two days later, Jo began having greater difficulty breathing. Brittany believed she needed oxygen and fluids. On the way to the hospital, Jo’s condition worsened, and Brittany called 911. After receiving a breathing treatment and oxygen through a nasal cannula, Jo improved. The paramedic told Brittany she was doing well.
At the entrance to St. Agnes Medical Center in Fresno, Jo handed Brittany her purse and explained where to find her insurance card. It was the last time Brittany saw her grandmother alive.
Jo was admitted on September 1, 2021. Her family waited outside for six hours without an update. Brittany repeatedly called to learn where Jo was, what tests had been performed, and what treatment she was receiving. She was hung up on, placed on lengthy holds, and forced to escalate her calls through nurses and supervisors simply to confirm her grandmother was alive.
Jo was frightened and isolated. Desperate to reach her family, she took a nurse’s phone and hid it in her bed so she could call Brittany. Rather than being included in her own care, she was left trying to tell her family where to find the mail keys and which bills needed to be paid.
About nine days after admission, Brittany unexpectedly received a FaceTime call from hospital staff. They announced that Jo would be intubated because her lungs needed to “rest.” Her family had not been given a clear explanation of her condition or why ventilation had suddenly become necessary.
Before entering the hospital, Jo and her family had clearly refused remdesivir. Jo even wrote “No Remdesivir” on a napkin. Brittany later found a progress note stating that the drug had been administered, although she could not find it listed in the medication administration record.
Jo was also given multiple sedatives, anxiety medications, paralytics, blood-pressure medications, morphine, fentanyl, midazolam, propofol, Precedex, baricitinib, and other drugs. Her family requested ivermectin, hydroxychloroquine, monoclonal antibodies, budesonide, and high-dose intravenous vitamin C. These requests were denied, delayed, or replaced with inadequate doses.
Once Jo was placed on the ventilator, her family says the hospital quickly began pushing palliative or comfort care. They were repeatedly told there was no hope and pressured to agree to the withdrawal of life-sustaining treatment. Her DNR status appeared to change more than once, including after she was intubated and unable to communicate. Her family refused to give up.
While isolated, Jo developed severe wounds and tissue breakdown on her ear, sacrum, and other areas of her body. Her family says these injuries were never disclosed. When Jo’s husband and daughter were finally permitted a brief visit, staff positioned her facing away from them. Brittany believes this was done to keep the wounds from being seen. Her husband of 60 years was allowed only about 15 minutes with her.
As Jo’s condition worsened, a doctor called Brittany and bluntly said her grandmother was dying, even predicting she might not live until 2:00 that afternoon. The family rushed to the hospital but was still denied entry. Security was called when Jo’s son attempted to reach his mother.
That evening, a nurse named Isaac told Brittany that Jo appeared to be improving. Her blood pressure was normalizing, and her heart rate was stable. The family rejoiced, believing their prayers were being answered.
Within approximately an hour, another doctor called and said Jo was dying. Jo’s son and daughter-in-law raced to the hospital, but they arrived too late. Jo died on October 2, 2021. Brittany has never received an adequate explanation for what happened between the nurse’s report of improvement and her grandmother’s sudden death.
Afterward, the funeral home refused to allow the family to view Jo’s body because of “COVID rules.” Even at the graveside, Jo’s daughter pleaded to look inside the coffin and confirm that her mother was there. She was denied that final moment of closure.
The comparison remains impossible for Brittany to ignore. Her 90-year-old grandfather left the hospital with his advocate, received care at home, and survived. Jo entered another hospital after improving with basic oxygen and a breathing treatment. She was isolated, denied requested treatments, reportedly given a drug she had refused, heavily sedated, ventilated, pressured toward end-of-life care, and died one month later.
Jo’s story reflects recurring allegations described by families across the country: isolation from advocates, refusal to communicate, denial of informed consent, discrimination based on vaccination status, denied treatments, heavy sedation, aggressive ventilation, pressure to accept DNR or comfort-care measures, severe wounds, and security used against families trying to reach their loved ones.
Brittany believes these were not simply failures of communication. She describes a system in which Jo’s voice, choices, dignity, and right to individualized care were taken from her. These alleged abuses committed under COVID-era policies must be documented, investigated, and stopped.
Betrayal Project USA is a victim-led organization made up largely of survivors, widows, widowers, and family members who experienced similar institutional betrayal. We give victims a platform to tell their stories, preserve the historical record, build a community of support, and pursue reform and accountability.
If you or someone you love was harmed by COVID-related hospital protocols, shots, or policies, please document your story at betrayalprojectusa.org. You can also support our mission or sponsor the professional documentation of another victim’s story at https://buymeacoffee.com/betrayalprojectusa.
