03/13/04

By KAY CAMPBELL
Times Staff Writer

CAPSHAW - Despite some changes during the last year in how inmates held in the Limestone Correctional Facility are housed and treated for illnesses, some inmates have still died preventable, premature deaths, according to an infectious diseases expert.

"While some of the changes that have been described are somewhat positive, the improvements have been far outweighed by the problems that continue to plague Limestone Correctional Facility," Dr. Stephen Tabet wrote in the report, released Thursday. "Additionally, new problems have arisen."

Tabet is a Seattle-based specialist who has been hired by the inmates and the Southern Center for Human Rights, who are suing the state over medical treatment. His report follows his Feb. 23 visit to the prison. The visit was his second to the prison. His first was in February 2003.

During both visits, he said, he has found care practices that not only fail to meet the standards set by the National Commission on Correctional Health Care, but that actually contribute to deaths among the inmates.

"More strongly than ever, I feel that the Limestone Correctional Facility is in dire need of outside intervention and oversight," Tabet wrote in the report's summary. "The following recommendations must be addressed, or patients will continue to needlessly suffer and die at the Limestone Correctional Facility."

In the last five months, five inmates have died. Tabet's report states that the medical care several of those men received was inadequate and too late to prevent death. He also viewed the pill line, which can be held at 1 a.m., when, he said, many inmates would get to the window only to find out that their medication was not available. Some would vomit after taking their medicine, since it was supposed to be administered with food.

Tabet's recommendations include instituting an organized way to review patient deaths; clarifying the role of the prison's physician in terms of medical director duties and also getting an outside monitor to review that physician's decisions; increasing the medical staff to comply with National Commission on Correctional Health Care guidelines; testing inmates for hepatitis C; ending the practice of using inmates to provide health care for other inmates; developing infection control practices; ensuring medication supplies and administration; and seeing that the inmates' diets satisfy minimal medical requirements.

Because prison and health conditions are part of a lawsuit filed against the state, neither officials with the state Department of Correction nor officials with the Tennessee-based Prison Health Services, which has provided health care for Alabama prisons since November, would comment on specific allegations in the report.

The case is set to go to trial in the federal courtroom of Judge Karon Bowdre on May 17.

"It is very important to note that this report is written by a trial witness hired by the plaintiffs' lawyers," Brian Corbett said Thursday. Corbett is the spokesman for the state Department of Correction. "Although we strongly disagree with the conclusions, we are in the process of addressing complaints and resolving the issues in compliance with the National Commission of Correctional Health Care standards," Corbett said.

Larry Pomeroy, vice president of Prison Health Services, was in meetings Friday. His assistant, Debbie Midwood, released a written statement Pomeroy made on the report; it states that he will have no comment to specific allegations, but that the health care his company provides is good.

Back to News