Metro Jail, Nashville, Tennessee
May 23, 2010 Tennessean
A 52-year-old Davidson County inmate who suffered from inflammation in
his stomach and an untreated ulcer died last year from lack of medical
care, claims a federal lawsuit filed Friday. With a bloated stomach, Roy
Glenn Hall Jr. was feeling ill while he sat in jail on May 24. Hall was
found unresponsive on the floor of his cell at the Criminal Justice
Center on Second Avenue. He was not treated while he was in Davidson
County Sheriff's Office custody, even though medical staff was aware of
his illness, the lawsuit states. Lawyers for Hall's estate are suing
Metro, Davidson County, the Sheriff's Office, Correct Care Solutions,
which has the contract for medical care, the sheriff's officers involved
and the nurses individually. The sheriff's office declined to comment.
Efforts to reach representatives of Correct Care Solutions were
unsuccessful. Records show the sheriff's office conducted its own
investigation and disciplined an officer for ignoring security
precautions. That report also shows that Hall, who also had diabetes and
hepatitis, complained of pain and was taken to medical staff, which sent
him to his cell. Hall had been arrested on May 19 on misdemeanor
warrants and was screened by medical staff, who were made aware that he
was a diabetic who had liver disease and hepatitis, according to the
lawsuit. Six days later, Hall was found shaking, gasping for air, saying
he was going to die. He wasn't given medical treatment. He died hours
later, the lawsuit states. Video image described Lawyer David Randolph
Smith has also notified the parties of his intent to file a medical
malpractice suit against the state. He said the case highlights the
conditions in jail. Smith represented two inmates who died in Metro
jail. Estelle Richardson was found dead in 2004 after a confrontation
with guards and Terry Battle died of pneumonia. Hall's estate is also
represented by the Human Rights Defense Center, the parent company of
Prison Legal News, a magazine that advocates for inmates' rights. Alex
Friedmann, associate editor of the publication, conducted his own
investigation into Hall's death. Video shows Hall's bloated stomach,
Friedmann said. "His stomach was obviously grossly distended," Friedmann
said. "I've watched the video, and he looked nine months pregnant. "They
had a dead man who had a treatable condition. Correct Care Solutions,
the sheriff's office has a responsibility to keep him safe and secure."
An autopsy report shows Hall had three quarts of liquid drained from his
body after death. The lawsuit is seeking unspecified damages.
September 24, 2007 Fairview Observer
Two years after Correct Care Solutions won a $36 million contract to
provide medical care for Metro's jail inmates, some prisoners are filing
lawsuits alleging their treatment has been inadequate. The lawsuits are
being filed at a time when the cost of providing medical care to inmates
in Nashville is rising. The budget last fiscal year for inmate medical
care was $7.8 million, but this year, the budget is $9.4 million. Most
of the money goes to Correct Care Solutions, while about $250,000 pays
for salaries and benefits for three Metro employees, officials said. The
budget increase is because of inflation, spending in offsite care and
growth in Metro's average daily inmate population, city health officials
said. "We feel very good about the care we are providing," said Patrick
Cummiskey, spokesman for Correct Care Solutions. "The fact that we have
a couple lawsuits, that's just typical of this industry." Despite the
lawsuits — a total of five in state and federal court collectively
seeking $4.8 million in damages — Metro officials are pleased with
Correct Care Solutions, noting that the provider ushered in changes to
improve inmate medical care since winning the contract in 2005. Metro
switched providers after a diabetic inmate died while the city was
contracting with Prison Health Services, a company that had held the
Metro contract since 1995. Allegations against the new provider range
from delays in treating broken bones to failing to provide heart
medication. A contract monitor for the health department reviewed the
case files and found no reason for concern, said Cathy Seigenthaler, the
health department's director of correctional health services. "We're
satisfied with what they're doing, and we're glad to have them,"
Seigenthaler said.
September 12, 2005 Tennessean
Metro government officials are hoping that a two-year-old Nashville company with
a virtually flawless record of service will be the cure for inmate health-care
problems at the city's main lockup. After less than three years in business,
Correct Care Solutions won a $36 million contract to provide medical care to
Metro Jail inmates beginning Oct. 1. The contract comes after a year during
which the jail's previous health company, Prison Health Services, was accused of
providing substandard care to diabetic inmates after the death of one prisoner
and serious illnesses of two others. Of particular concern was the Jan. 19 death
of inmate Ricky Douglas, who was found unconscious in his cell hours after
pleading for medical attention he didn't receive. Subsequent investigations
found many problems with the training of jail health workers and the mishandling
of prisoner records. The company's chief executive is Jerry Boyle, a former
president and CEO of Prison Health Services who left in 2003 to form the new
company. But the company's work has not gone entirely unchallenged. In Norfolk,
Va., the family of a 35-year-old female inmate is questioning the care she
received before her July 11 death. Relatives said the woman complained for days
that her pneumonia was not being adequately treated and that her condition was
not improving. In Durham, N.C., a judge ruled earlier this year that a triple
homicide suspect did not receive adequate medical care after a dispute over
whether jail staff withheld medication that the prisoner's family had purchased
and provided. It was unclear what role Correct Care Solutions would have played
in obtaining the medication from jail guards. In Santa Fe, N.M., an attorney
complained to a District Court judge that her client's life-threatening medical
needs were not being met. A company that operated the jail, and subcontracted
medical service to Correct Care Solutions, backed out of its contract there,
citing challenges in providing adequate medical services. Correct
Care officials said the problems in New Mexico involved the private prison
management company and were not a reflection of its service.
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