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."
Did Grave Shift Officer ROGERS Walk by Naked Inmate in Medical Distress?
(A group of women on Charley bay tell this alleged incident.) Robin is the name of a stage 4 cancer patient who needs oxygen to survive. Robin had been complaining about a fever the night before, and this could be why in the middle of the night she had thrown off all her clothes. Unfortunately, witnesses allege her oxygen tube was also off, which might explain the groaning they heard from her, and her apparent distress. Robin’s neighbors say, Officer Rogers repeatedly walked passed Robin’s cube during patrols and did not check on Robin even though she was naked and moaning.
One cube mate finally called out, “Hey Rogers, this woman needs medical attention.” they allege the officer said, “I’m going to finish my walk”. When they insisted, Rogers said, ” She’ll just refuse, and I don’t think there’s anyone in medical anyway.”
According to the ladies in C bay, a nurse arrived just before dawn and took Robin to medical. For unexplained reasons, she was brought back to her cube. Then, reportedly, when the morning shift of medical professionals arrived about 7:30am, Robin was wheeled back to medical and then the ambulance showed up at 8:20am to take her to the hospital.
Maricopa County Jail Takes Blind Woman’s Cane! Then Perryville Gives Her a Walker???
Joanna is 100% blind. When she was arrested on an ancient parole violation, she had her collapsible white cane with the red tip, universally recognized as a blind person’s “eyes”. The jail guards took her cane away claiming she could use it as a weapon. How? She can’t see to hit anyone! All those idiots did was TAKE AWAY HER EYES!
We did some research to find out Maricopa allows seeing people keep their canes, but in their infinite wisdom….takes away the blind ones’ cane!? Who could be more stupid than Maricopa jail? Why Perryville prison of course! Instead of getting her blind stick back from the jail, or ordering a new one, OR giving her a wheelchair in the interim, they give her a WALKER! Talk about an IQ of room temperature. The woman is healthy, she doesn’t need a walker…..she needs a cane to see where she’s going. But, no, San Carlos Medical reportedly was reluctant to give her something useful like a wheelchair.
Fortunately for Joanna, her mother is also on San Carlos and she is some raging Mama Bear! When Mom found out her “cub” was being mistreated, Carlos Medical was in a world of hurt:-) Joanna’s mom “acquired” a wheelchair, went to battle with medical when they tried to put her baby in the SNU (special needs unit, again she’s not sick, she’s blind) and roared her displeasure about Joanna not having a cube, and meals delivered until she could get her cane.
Allegedly, the medical department thought Joanna was “faking” being totally blind because when she was in Perryville in 2009, she had sight in one eye. Duh. Nothing can happen in 15 years?? Someone with a brain finally noticed Joanna’s eyes were “nonreactive to light”, that means blind, people.
This has a happy ending…..reportedly, Joanna has a wheelchair, cane is on order, cube is ready, and she will be enrolled in the braille program. Never underestimate a Mother’s love.
Naphcare Gives, and Naphcare Takes Away
(Follow up article on “Did Naphcare do something right?“)
Well, that didn’t take long. About 3 weeks ago we announced Naphcare’s new continuity of care program, where each inmate was assigned her own ” team” of Provider, RN, and CNA. The women were wild with appreciation and gave us statements on how wonderful this was for their medical care. The main reason for all this irrational exuberance was, that they would see the same provider and not have to see a new one each time they went to medical. One might guess Naphcare was briefly trying to impress someone…..we wonder who. At any rate, it’s over now, and we’re back to the same ol’ shit.
Wrong Diagnosis of Cancer Could Have Caused Suicide!
.(See June 24th story of "Another cancer causality on Carlos") Provider JOHNS misdiagnosis of end-stage cancer put GG in severe mental distress. Reportedly, she spoke of ending her life between tears of grief. GG was put in IPC to, allegedly, receive " better pain...
Elderly Woman Endures 3 Days With Broken Femur, With Only Muscle Rub For Pain!
This one takes the cake. We'll let her tell it in her own words. We will call her "Sue". "I collapsed again on San Carlos, but this time I woke up to terrible pain. My leg was at an awkward angle, but when I tried to straighten it the pain made me pass out again. The...
Diabetic Had Toe Amputated!
(Please refer to our previous report on this patient entitled, *Diabetic faces amputation due to No Care Naphcare*) From the patient herself. "The week before I was admitted to the hospital, I called for an ICS due to the severe pain in my foot. I have subsequently...
One Wrong Shot Left Young Woman Wheelchair Bound
Corizon, the now bankrupted health insurance provider, sent this young lady to a Pediatric surgeon for a very rare congenital bone disease surgery. She should have gone to an Orthopaedic surgeon with specialized training. Corizon is only interested in saving itself...
Diabetic Faces Amputation Due To No Care Naphcare
This is a very sad story, but unfortunately emblematic of a growing healthcare crisis at Perryville. As you may know, diabetics have trouble with their feet from this disease. We will call her Pat. For two months Pat had been in and out of medical trying to resolve a...
Do DOC Staff Have the Right To Deny An ICS?
The short answer is no. So why do they try? We've been sent names of a lieutenant, a sergeant, and even an RN, that are allegedly (according to family) trying to REFUSE an inmate asking for immediate medical attention. Nowhere in policy does it say they can do that....
Medical Grievances Skyrocket Under Naphcare
Medical staff source: "We have received an unprecedented amount of grievances from patients in Perryville, regarding deliberate indifference and gross incompetence. We've had to divert a needed staff member to field these grievances full-time."
Another Cancer Casualty On Carlos
GG was another 41-year-old looking forward to returning to her tribe and family when she received a grim diagnosis... multiple myecloma. In the weeks leading up to this, she was treated by the No Care Naphcare staff for "gas". It was twisted irony that 16 hours before...
Medical Off-Site Appointments Being Turned Away
As we have reported in earlier stories, Banner has stopped taking Naphcare insurance. This is another installment in I-dont-believe-they-did-this saga. From inmate's email. "I had been waiting four months for an endoscopy. Finally, I knew my appointment was imminent...
Medical Officer: “Naphcare Is In So Much Trouble Now, Receivership Will Be Soon.
What that officer was referring to was the Feds taking over the health care of Arizona prisoners. We feel Judge Silver will have no choice but to do this, as reluctant as she is to do so. You have read the many stories on this site about the horrendous neglect of our...
W.E.’s Story
(This is W.E.'s story) " I was born in September of 1950. I have diabetes, heart disease, and COPD. The first week I was at San Carlos an LVN (who shouldn't be doing injections anyway), overdosed me by 10 cc's of insulin. Instead of 4 cc of insulin, she gave me 14! As...
One Woman Taken To Hospital While 7 Others Go Into Seizures
Dateline: San Carlos. Mid-morning an elderly woman fell out of her bunk, face first, and unresponsive. An ambulance and firetruck arrived at the gate to take the stricken inmate to the hospital. The guards emptied out C bay and made them stay near the basketball...
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.