Health Horror Stories
"These stories of health abuse are not independently verified by the editors of this website. However, all of the women have agreed to a HIPPA release to any qualified attorney willing to take their case, or to an investigative reporter from the media."
Largest Unit in Arizona Prison System Operates Frequently with ONE Medical Provider!
Communication, predominantly from family members, describe their daughter’s canceled doctor appointments at San Carlos. They allege that last week the inmate’s Provider called in to say she would not be in. According to the family, the Provider said it would be “unethical” to see 30 patients per day, and she simply won’t do it any longer. Sometimes there is a Provider, and sometimes no one shows up, so they tell the inmates “We’ll reschedule”. How many times can they do this?
Coming Attractions
(My webmaster was on a well-deserved holiday. Now that she is back the Editor can announce this website’s next big story. We are covering the ELDERLY in prison. I’m going to call it “The cAGEing of Women in Perryville”. This is a sneak peak of two stories that will be featured.)
MJ reported numbness and tingling in both hands, feet, and abdomen. She was struggling to even write. After a very long time MJ finally got an off site appointment for an MRI. The cervical MRI found a lesion on her spinal cord suggestive of neoplastic etiology. On July 17, 2022 the Provider requested a neurological consult . This consult was not scheduled until a month later. Eventually, on September 1, 2022, a consult was scheduled for Barrow on February 14, 2023, seven months after the first request. This appointment never occurred because Barrow left a message that it would not take Naphcare as insurance provider. Trying to find another facility to take an inmate was problematic. At last, Western Neuro in Tucson agreed to take her as a patient. Western Neuro received a message from Naphcare that the status on this patient was ” Corporate MD pending “, meaning Naphcare had not authorized the payment. So MJ continues to deteriorate, requiring a wheelchair, she can’t stand and is incontinent.
MM has metastatic breast cancer that includes lymph nodes and her left leg. Before her MRI diagnosis of cancer, she struggled to get the San Carlos medical department to listen to her symptoms. After repeated ICS’s (emergency), the nurses told her to ” knock it off or she would get a ticket”. This woman could not walk and she was in constant, severe pain. The Provider Johnson diagnosed her with arthritis and gave her muscle rub for pain. He denied her a lay in for meals, no wheelchair, or pain meds. Eventually, she was granted an off site appointment which was cancelled. The 2nd appointment she had to borrow someone else’s wheelchair to make it to the V-gate. Even after her MRI diagnosis of cancer on 3-9-23, which was labeled SERIOUS and EMERGENCY, she has had zero care for cancer.
More Misery For The Aged And Infirm On Carlos
We’ve heard many reports from the elderly, cancer patients, and crippled that the new administration at Carlos took away their extra mattress that was authorized by medical.
Why punish the already punished??!! The elderly and infirm already suffer from horrible “medical” from Naphcare.
After all the pontificating from Gov Hobbs, Director Thornton, and Judge Silver about how they were going to help the deplorable conditions in prison, we haven’t seen ANY improvement in these women’s lives. It’s gotten dramatically worse.
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I was in prison for 17years and have seen so many people die in front of me It’s traumatic and I have PTSD from it. Medical never helped me for my heart problems, never took tests, just told me I have congested heart failure and didn’t do anything for me. I saw it every day. They never helped us, made us always feel like we were lying and would send us away. Making people work in the kitchen who have scoliosis, heart problems, people who have AIDS and Hep C as well as other STDs. There’s rat poop on our kitchen food, birds all over our trays that we eat off of making us all even sicker, black mold everywhere. We can’t breathe in our cells due to all the mold and crud in our walls, vents, and coolers. They are trying to kill us – they don’t care and the money they get for us does not go to us. There is so much more.
I’ve been sexually attacked by the CO police officers twice. I have my whole life to account for in there and I’m surprised I made it out after 17years. They have medium inmates on max yards getting assaulted and they don’t care. They say it is due to no room. They also send you to max yard as punishment without ever getting tickets. It’s all retaliation. They will ruin your life if you don’t do what they want. They make up lies, yep the sergeants, if you refuse to work because you don’t feel good. I heard a Sergeant say “Oh you’re going to hurt yourself” then cuff her up and put her in isolation when the girl never said it. I’ve seen it all, believe that.
Hi Cynthia! I’m not sure if you’ll see this but I am so sorry for what you went through. Thank you for sharing a glimpse of your story. I would love to ask you questions as I am exploring ideas for my doctoral capstone and am interested in issues in the AZ Women’s Prison. Is there any way we could talk further?
That was my friend 😭 she was cool ag and funny. I feel bad I had to leave San Carlos for Cruz. But fck their medical center, the whole prison is fucked up and corrupted. I’ve been out for 8 months now and I still remember everything like yesterday especially with health care. Like can the prison do an upgrade and fix their shit or will more ppl have to die like my friend here? It’s fucked up because I knew she was having a hard time in the beginning getting her shots. We both came from the same county. She wasn’t even a criminal like person. She was fun, bright and very smart, like she could’ve went to college. She had alot planned for herself…damn I love Jowell thank for the laughs and being a loyal friend. Rest in Paradise
Yeah, she was a very cool person to know. She would hug you when she saw you with a big smile. She was always cool to everyone, no hate or anger in her heart but she probably did towards ADOC health employees
I was incarcerated for 9 years and just released March 2024. In 2019, my stomach swelled up and I looked 9 months pregnant. They told me I had impacted stool and had me drink a laxative. The pain got worse, I couldn’t breath or walk and this went on for 2 months. My family contacted the ACLU and prison and finally in February 2020 I was sent to the hospital and diagnosed with Stage 3 Ovarian cancer. I was in the hospital for 10 days and started chemo. I went back to the prison and was expecting chemo every 3 weeks. It took over a 3 weeks for me to get scheduled for my next chemo. In May, I had just came back from chemo and was told I was packing up and being sent to San Carlos. I had to load and unload all of my belongings after a day of chemo and was being transferred to a yard with 1300 women. I then had surgery to remove the cancer in July and once released from the hospital was sent to Maria and put in a cell, by myself with no A/C. I had to move everything by myself and carry a chair out to take a shower. I had an incision from belly button to my pubic bone. Finally after 2 weeks, I was sent back to Carlos. I was told later that I had peritoneal cancer and not ovarian, after I had had a complete hysterectomy. I never had a follow up PET scan to make sure the cancer was gone. In March of 2023, I started seeing a new oncologist, Dr. Benjamin and he finally ordered a PET scan and saw that I had cancer again in the same area of my stomach. I had surgery again in May and started six rounds of chemo. Between the medical Dr’s John and Johnson my medical treatment at the prison was horrible. They didn’t give me anything but Tylenol and Excedrin for the pain and I had to fight to get an extra mattress and extra milk for protein shakes. If I didn’t have my family to support me and stand up for me I would have died. I applied for clemency 2 times and because I wasn’t dying in 3 months, I was refused. Something needs to change with the health system and prison.