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."
CORIZON declares bankruptcy–what this means to Perryville residents
(This is based on Jimmy Jenkins’ 2-19-23 article in the Arizona Republic on this subject.
Jimmy explains in detail the “Texas two-step” where laws in Texas allowed Corizon to split into two corporations and put their debt payments on hold. This leaves malpractice claims on hold denying current and formerly incarcerated people justice.
Corizon ran the prison health system from 2013 to 2019. Lauralee Medley, a former Perryville resident, was nearing the end of her trial against Corizon when she received a call from the court saying a mistrial had been declared. Medley believes Corizon has used the legal system to evade accountability. Most of Corizon’s liabilities are from wrongful death lawsuits, money owed to hospitals, and service providers. In cases where the AZDOC is a codefendant with Corizon, it might be the taxpayers on the hook for judgments.
Naphcare Error Endangered a Woman’s Life
(Story in her own words) On January 27th I underwent 3 skin cancer surgeries at Regency Dermatology. After the surgeon sewed up the last wound, he admonished me to “Be SURE to take your antibiotics starting tonight when you return to prison.”
When I arrived back at Carlos to see a nurse, according to policy, I asked where my antibiotics were.”. The nurse said I’d get them “soon”. On the 28th and 29th I requested my antibiotics from pill call nurses who told me to ” Put in an HNR”. By Sunday night I had fever, chills, my eyes were so swollen I couldn’t see, and my face was red and purple.
At about 6 pm I passed out on the bathroom floor. An ICS was called and many women gathered to try and help. The bay officer was SOTO, and she was joined by two male officers with a wheelchair. SOTO said in a loud voice (because everyone heard her) “Get up! Get up you FAKER!” I had painfully made it to my knees on the cement floor but was too weak to get in the chair.
The inmates were getting angry, and shouting at the officers “Don’t let her lay there! Get her in the chair!!” “What if that was your grandmother!?” No one from medical came.
Finally, one male officer rolled me to medical where I was seen by RN Lanier. Ms. Lanier immediately executed proper emergency care. It was determined I had a raging fever, lymph, and pus running out of my infected wound, and I was attended to. I was given a pain reliever and an antibiotic and told to see the Provider first thing in the morning.
Monday morning PA Johnson started me on an IV antibiotic. Mr. Johnson got on the phone to demand the Regency surgeon see me immediately. I was taken by van to their surgical center where the surgeon abraded my infected cheek, and drained it. He said I had STAPH or MRSA, took a culture, and said that the wound had to heal from the inside out.
Instead of returning to Carlos I was taken to IPC. I spent 5 agonizing days in the prison hospital getting pumped with antibiotics and Tylenol 3. Dr. Ibrams got approval for a non-formulary to fight this infection. He even went out himself to CVS to get it for me! Dr. Ibrams is my hero.
I believe Naphcare is the villain in this story, as they were responsible for delivering the critical antibiotic, on time, the night of my surgery, AND THEY FAILED.
*IPC: The Journey From Hell and Back* (Diary of an actual patient)
2-1-23 After the surgeon from Regency Dermatology abraded and drained my cheek wound, PA Johnson condemned me to IPC for monitoring. Exhausted and in severe pain, I took a Tylonol 3 and passed out.
2-2 PA Shields came to change my dressing and start an IV. I worry when health professionals cringe when they see my gaping wound. I’m eating prison food (rules say no commissary food) and drinking tap water…what will become of me?
2-3 Nurse Mumms is an absolute doll, a real gem. All the nurses are pleasant, but she is a real standout. Then! TAADAA….is it a bird? a plane? No it’s SUPER DOCTOR IBRAMS!!! He enters my room. I wish I’d had a video of his reaction when he saw my wound…he visibly recoiled. He suspects MRSA or STAPH. IV’s aren’t going to cut it, so he gets immediate approval for an out-of-formulary antibiotic that can fight this severe infection. He even went to CVS himself to pick it up!
2-4 6:56 am. The toddler meal set before me had 9 cubes of potatoes and 6 cubes of fake ham. 1 milk. 3 tbs of canned pears. bread and p’butter. 10:16 am. No nurse has made an introduction yet. I paid for a Trinity meal today, but my odds of getting it are slim to none. $23 down the drain because I had the audacity to get an infection. 3:40 pm. prison food offering. a small portion of mystery meat meatloaf, 9 green beans, ubiquitous bread, and tap water. Is this my karma for not remembering the poor and destitute inmates that must eat this crap to stay alive???
2-5 breakfast 6:30 am. 2 dollar pancakes, 2 tbs syrup, cereal, lunch meat. That’s supposed to feed a man-sized 5’10 185lb woman for 12 hours???!!!! 6:35 pm dinner. Another toddler meal of greasy queasy awful stuff, cornbread…my stomach hurt all night. I have been ravenously hungry since I got here.
2-6 Dr. I let me loose!! I’m ecstatic! and lost 6 lbs in 5 days.
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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.