A nurse who tried to bring to light many concerns about the way inmate medical care was being handled was fired. A 68-year-old inmate is among those who are said to have suffered as a result of losing the care of that nurse. On the day the nurse was let go, that was the last time the inmate, who had diabetes and chronic hypertension, had his blood pressure monitored appropriately.

The next check of the inmate’s blood pressure was eight days later, according to records. Less than two months after being arrested, a jailer found him to be in distress. A nurse at the jail was unable to find the pulse, and he was transported to a hospital. The inmate was pronounced dead at the hospital and the official cause was narrowing and hardening of coronary arteries, which is frequently linked to high blood pressure.

The inmate’s family has accused the company in charge of medical care at the jail of deliberate indifference to the man’s serious medical needs.

A 21-year-old with a history of bipolar disorder, for which he took medication, was arrested on January 1, 2015. Jailers were informed by police officers that the man was a “49,” which is code for a person with mental disabilities. One of the arresting officers sought to bring the inmate to a hospital for a check-up on his mental health, but a supervisor refused to give approval of the request.

Learn more about this story, including details of events that preceded the custodial death of the 21-year-old inmate, in this ongoing series. Also, see Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, and Part 7.

The posts on this site are intended to provide information. There is no intention to infer in this or any other post on the website that an individual, institution, or organization engaged in any type of misconduct.

–Guest Contributor