Level of care in state prisons is putting health of inmates at risk

LeeS269 · #1 07-23-2006, 10:57 AM

This references the federal court order that region III is under to improve health care.... So much for court orders!!!

JEFF GERRITT: Needless death sentence

Level of care in state prisons is putting health of inmates at risk
June 19, 2006

This is the first in an occasional series of columns on problems with the health care system for state prison inmates.

Michigan doesn't have the death penalty, but the state of health care in its prison system makes you wonder.

Link to article:
http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/a...ON01/606190304

• Consultation letter on Martell's case (PDF)

• U.S. District Judge Richard Enslen's Oct. 9 court order (PDF)

• Letter to the judge from one of the monitors (PDF)

· • Radiation oncology update on Lloyd Martell's case (PDF)

JEFF GERRITT is a Free Press editorial writer. Contact him at gerritt@freepress.com or 313-222-6585.

*mrsdragoness* · #2 07-23-2006, 08:22 PM

A BIG THANK you for posting this!! We all need to pay attention to this issue and write to our state reps, etc... this will eventually affect all of our still incarcerated loved ones!

LeeS269 · #3 07-24-2006, 10:58 AM

Write to Dr. Cohen and the Judge that are listed here. http://www.freep.com/assets/static/p..._cohen0619.pdf.

Include very specific details about your loved ones problems with the medical system in ANY MDOC facility. We need to flood them with numbers because the MDOC is trying to say that these cases are rare and statistically insignificant! We know that's a load of crap...

Poor medical care is the standard... others get worse!

jdettmer3 · #4 07-24-2006, 07:37 PM

Can someone tell me if inmates are tested for std's?

LeeS269 · #5 07-25-2006, 05:02 AM

They are supposed to be tested for HIV and other STDs during their stay at the Egeler Guidance Center.

Lions Heart · #6 07-25-2006, 06:21 AM

My guy has been in for 13 yrs and he was just recently tested again. I don't know why or if he requested it but he sent me the test results. Maybe they tested him because he has been having some medical issues. he sent me the test results. I think he was just trying to reassure me that he was OK.

LeeS269 · #7 07-27-2006, 12:27 PM

Never try to second guess why the prison healthcare system does ANYTHING. They don't follow policies or common sense.

MrsBenji · #8 07-27-2006, 09:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LeeS269

Never try to second guess why the prison healthcare system does ANYTHING. They don't follow policies or common sense.

As sad as it is, it's very true and the health care system inside the MDOC leaves much to be desired. Great info and VERY important...

Thanks for sharing the info Lee...

Jenn

Lions Heart · #9 07-28-2006, 07:10 AM

My guy has found the info that you posted very useful. He has suffered his second knee injury since being inside and they have continued to refuse to treat him. They took x-rays which show nothing because the injury has has is a soft tissue injury which doesn't show up on x-rays. They refuse to do an MRI because it is not a life threatening injury. Well it is life limiting and being incarcerated is life limiting enough. They are responsible for his medical care. Let him go and I'll make sure he gets medical care!! His G-ma spoke to the regional medical director and the only thing they kept telling her was it was his own fault and he shouldn't be so active because he isn't 20yrs old anymore. Well he's only in his 30's. They told her that the body will heal itself. To the best of my knowledge a torn tendon or miniscus (sp?) won't heal itself. I sent him the info from above and he found it very useful. Thank you very very much!

LeeS269 · #10 07-28-2006, 07:52 AM

Send me a PM including name, inmate number, facility and how he was injured, what happened to injure it, when he first kited about it, how long it took to be seen, the original diagnosis and what they did to treat it and any ongoing problems. If he is in pain ask him to rate it on a scale of 1-10... 10 being the absolute worst pain you've ever experienced in your life. What would he rate it when first injured and what would he rate it now. If he was ordered medications, when were they ordered and when did he receive them (includes a brace or crutches etc...) Include the name of the physician or if not seen by a physician the highest medical person seen... Physicians assistant, RN, LPN etc... Is it red, swollen, bruised etc....

I will write it all up in a medical / legal format and I can submit it anonymously as an observer to the health department and the Medical Director of the entire system.... or I can email it back to you for you to decide what to do with it. If you want to remain anonymous (which I don't mind one bit) don't send his name or inmate number and you can fill it in when I send it back. I'm an RN and a student paralegal... so confidentiality is guaranteed. As a paralegal I can do everything a lawyer can except argue in court and give advice.

I do this free of charge because of my deep disrespect for the "healthcare" in prisons and just for the whole prison system in general.

If we all work together we can move mountains!