I got a letter yesterday from my PP in federal prison in CO and he was telling me he had been really sick (flu) and that it was really running wild in there in the facility - everyone was getting it - CO's, inmates. He said a lot of them had gotten so sick they were dehydrated and had to have IV's going. He struggled through but it made me feel better that they seemed to be getting medical attention.

Hey Shannon,




One of my PP's was having extremely backpains, it did take him about 2 weeks before he was allowed to see a doctor, when he finally was granted to see the doctor, the doctor made it clear that he just with give him medicines against the pain, he did not give him a chck up, obvious some doctors take their job very easy and without any stress or fuzz.

Very frustrating



Micky

Inmates often have to pay to see the doctor. It's not much by our standards, but by theirs, it's a lot. For example, an inmate may only receive $50/Mo. Out of that amount, they have to pay for their commissary, any necessary personal items, food/snacks, stamps, envelopes, etc. By the time they get near the end of the month, they are often broke. The cost for a visit to the doctor or the dentist differs from one state to another. In my home state, the cost for that is from $3-$5. And they are rarely given antibiotics or other medications. Most of the time they are given what inmates call "Perky Jesus" which is Percolgeisic (SP), Anticetemenaphin or something similar. Mostly fever reducers/ over the counter pain relievers. They rarely get any 'real' treatment unless it's for something serious such as chest pains.

I have seen inmates so sick from the flu they could barely sit up on the side of their bunks. One reason is because the inmate knows they won't be given anything for it, so they figure why 'waste' the money going for so little treatment. Since the inmate has to fill out a Medical Request Form, turn it in, and wait for an appointment slip to arrive, (Usually when the mail is delivered) they don't see it as being 'worth it'.

Illnesses, such as the flu are often spread between inmates and CO's due to the fact that everyone touches the same things, doors, tables in the pod, and they share spaces like the dayroom, showers, and the laundry room. The pods, units, and all the equipment are all cleaned by inmates. BUT, they don't have chemicals that kill bacteria effectively. Things like bleach, Lysol and such aren't allowed to be handled by inmates. So naturally, the germs are spread to others, and people often get the same illness more than once because of these things.

If your friend is seriously ill, and he's refused treatment, he could file a grievance. Yet there's no guarantee he will get anything more than the 'normal' treatment. Unless of course the illness brings about something more serious, for example: An inmate is cut by a piece of equipment. The cut becomes infected, and he requests to see the doctor. He is denied, and eventually loses a digit or a limb. THEN, they could sue, but it's not likely they'd get much out of it. It truly is a sad situation.

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When a friend makes a mistake, a TRUE friend doesn't rub it IN. Instead, like an eraser, he rubs it OUT!

It shouldn't be a surprise to any of us that the people they hire for medical staff are the bottom of rung in terms of care givers. Most could not work for a private hospital. In addition, medications are generic and limited in scope. Like so much in prisons, a medical clinic looks good on paper, but in reality, they are barely functional. Inmates can die of a heart attack or some other illness without anyone knowing or caring. For example, one inmate cut himself and bled to death before anyone noticed. Some die while yelling for help which never comes. Poorly trained nurses do most of the diagnosing and treatment and allow access to the doctor if THEY think it is warranted. Even those units that get their care from a local hospital staff get the bare minimum of care.

One of my pals was recently transferred to a facility with a "hospital" inside and he said it was a joke. He said the nurses walked around like they couldn't care less and he watched people die. As sick as he was, he would get up and help men to the bathroom. Sad!

One of my pals also did go to such a 'hospital' to get a cancer spot removed on his skin.

Well, they didn't remove it, but cut out another part of his skin.

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Kind regards,

Karin, Belgium

CET, no suprise to me.,