Signs of Inadequate Medical Care Were Abundant

Jail records show that there were many examples of the failure of the healthcare provider to meet inmates’ medical needs. In the last 43 days before the second annual contract expired, the following were among the allegations that were made about the care provided:

• On a certain date, it is alleged that a patient in the infirmary was lying in his own feces for more than an hour due to the negligence of the medical staff.
• A nurse gave an inmate the wrong medication, and she abandoned him in that situation, saying that he should vomit in a toilet.
• An inmate suffered a urinary tract infection and ended up being hospitalized because the healthcare provider denied him medical care during his hunger strike.
• The jail’s chief cited the healthcare provider’s contract with another jail, where an inmate died from dehydration. The Medical Examiner classified that death as a homicide.

The following are more incidents alleging that the healthcare provider was not fulfilling the responsibility of meeting the medical needs of the inmates:

• An inmate with diabetes was not provided with prescribed insulin injections at least a dozen times. There was no documentation to support the healthcare provider’s claim that the patient refused medications on a routine basis.
• An inmate suffered continual pain in his stomach, and he was advised to be checked for diabetes. He never received the necessary bloodwork.

Learn more in Part 1 of this continuing series.

Helping Texas jail detainees and their families with resources is one of the purposes of this website. There is no intention of suggesting that people or organizations have been involved in misdeeds.

–Guest Contributor