Class-Action Lawsuit by Inmates Demands Treatment for Hepatitis C
http://www.hivandhepatitis.com/hep_c/news/050703a.html
Class-Action Lawsuit by Inmates Demands Treatment for Hepatitis C
Oregon inmates allege in a pending class-action lawsuit that treatment for
hepatitis C is so woefully inadequate in the state's 12-prison, 11,800-inmate
system that it violates the constitutional ban on cruel and unusual punishment.
Prisoners say health care managers systematically deny treatment to hold down
costs.
The federal lawsuit seeks $17.5 million for inmate medical expenses, including
drug therapy, chemotherapy and potential liver transplants. "It's just
unconscionable what's going on," said Phyllis Beck, director of the Hepatitis C
Awareness Project in Eugene, Ore. "They're letting prisoners die of hepatitis
C." Beck said, "The main reason a lot of these prisoners aren't getting
treatment is because of the cost."
Portland lawyer Michelle Burrows filed the suit on behalf of 11 current and
former inmates. District Court Judge Anna Brown recently granted Burrows' motion
to expand the suit into a class action. All Oregon inmates with hepatitis C now
are considered plaintiffs. Corrections Department spokesperson Perrin Damon
said, "Treatment protocol is both medically appropriate and conforms with the
state's legal obligation to provide medical care to state prison inmates. We
look forward to responding to the plaintiffs' claims in court."
Corrections officials estimate that about 30 percent of all Oregon inmates -
roughly 3,500 - are infected with hepatitis C. Corrections Department Medical
Director Dr. Steve Shelton, who oversees the prison system's management of
hepatitis C, declined to provide complete data on the number of prisoners given
medication for the infection.
In 2001, the only data made available by the department, a dozen inmates
received the drug therapy. At a low-end cost of $18,000 per inmate, providing
treatment for 10 percent of the infected inmates in Oregon would cost taxpayers
at least $6.3 million. At a high-end cost of $30,000 per inmate, the total bill
would rise to $10.5 million.
05/07/03
Sources
A Gustafson. Class-Action Lawsuit by Inmates Demands Treatment for Hepatitis C.
Associated Press. May 5, 2003.
CDC HIV/STD/TB Prevention News Update. May 5, 2003.
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