Friday, March 9, 2007

Medical Errors and Neglect in King County Jail

The Seattle Times has a long article describing problems with the medical care provided in the King County Jail (and the Regional Justice Center in Kent). There are some appalling stories -- for instance, the one about the man with sickle cell anemia who complained of joint pain. The health care providers thought he was going through withdrawal from heroin. Although he said it wasn't the right drug, they gave him methadone, and he died of an overdose. More typical are the tales of unaddressed complaints, slow responses to requests to see a doctor, and poor records of narcotics and other drugs. Mike Carter, Mistakes, some deadly, haunt county jails, Seattle Times, March 9, 2007.

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