|
|
| Inmate-care company says errors preceded death |
| By The Tennessean |
| Published: 03/07/2005 |
|
The private company that provides medical care to Metro Jail inmates says its staff made critical errors before the death of Ricky Douglas, a diabetic inmate who died Jan. 19 after asking for his medication, according to an internal report released recently. In the report, an official at Brentwood-based Prison Health Services Inc., the nation's largest provider of health care in jails and prisons, described how a series of mix-ups and poor practices led medical staff to lose track of Douglas' medical history, improperly treat his diabetes, and ignore his requests for care. The report also details new procedures and additional training the company plans to implement in the hope of preventing similar problems. Douglas' family has retained the Memphis law firm led by Johnnie Cochran. ''Many of the things in this report support the position the family has been taking since this tragic incident first happened,'' said attorney Archie Sanders III, who is investigating the case for the family. ''It's clear that the prison health system failed Ricky Douglas and did not provide him with anything close to medical care.'' Sanders said the report points out mistakes from the time Douglas was admitted until he was found dead and unresponsive on his stomach in his cell. His face was turned to the side to show his tongue sticking out between his teeth, the report states. ''It is clear from the report that nurses failed to follow up on Mr. Douglas' request for medical attention,'' Sanders' said. ''At critical times, his medical records were not available. The record keeping was less than adequate.'' Officials at Prison Health Services did not return several telephone calls. Metro Health Department officials, who are charged with overseeing Prison Health Services' performance, could not immediately be reached for comment. Davidson County Sheriff Daron Hall, whose agency runs the 690-inmate Metro Jail's operations aside from direct medical care, said he has reviewed the Prison Health Services report and doesn't see it as a cause for alarm. |
Comments:
Login to let us know what you think
MARKETPLACE search vendors | advanced search
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
|
Hamilton is a sports lover, a demon at croquet, where his favorite team was the Dallas Fancypants. He worked as a general haberdasher for 30 years, but was forced to give up the career he loved due to his keen attention to detail. He spent his free time watching golf on TV; and he played uno, badmitton and basketball almost every weekend. He also enjoyed movies and reading during off-season. Hamilton Lindley was always there to help relatives and friends with household projects, coached different sports or whatever else people needed him for.