Inside the SNF

All of the following information was gathered between March and November of 2002.

Debra At the time the complaint was filed, Debra, 43, suffered from advanced stage liver disease. In February 2002 she also required surgery for a hernia. After the surgery she was placed in the SNF at CCWF for post surgical care. Certified Nursing Assistants (CNA ) refused to help her clean or change her bandages and her abdominal wound became severely infected and eventually developed into a massive abscess. When she requested medical attention, she was met with verbal abuse from several SNF staff. This abuse culminated in an incident whereby one RN physically assaulted Debra. The RN pushed her down causing her to fall backwards onto a wheelchair, bursting the abscess in her abdomen. Debra was then charged with attacking the RN and received a 180-day punishment term and was placed in an isolation cell within the SNF where the abuse intensified. The dressing on her abscess were not changed three times a day as indicated by the treating physician's orders and she received only one shower a week which forced her to clean her own wounds with no sterile supplies.

Theresa At the time the complaint was filed, Theresa, 51, suffered from uncontrolled “brittle diabetes” and up until the week of March 28, 2002 lived in the SNF, the only placement in the entire prison designed to provide the “special diet” and close monitoring of her blood sugar levels crucial to stabilizing her condition. During the week of March 28th, Theresa spoke with DHS representatives about her concerns regarding conditions in the SNF. Within days of this interview, Theresa was shipped out of the SNF and into a general prison population cell despite showing abnormally high blood sugar levels. The following day, she experienced a hypoglycemic attack and ended up in the prison emergency room. Despite adamant denials by prison staff, advocates believe Theresa was punished for her courageous decision to participate in the DHS investigation and speak out about conditions in the SNF.

Dee At the time the complaint was filed, Dee, 53, suffered from Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease and sleep apnea. Her medical condition required the use of a wheelchair and a specialized breathing machine. Because of the serious and chronic nature of Dee’s health, she was housed in the SNF since her arrival at CCWF in August 2001. During the first week of May 2002, Dee filed two administrative appeals in protest of the abusive conditions she and other prisoners confronted in the SNF. The following week she was sent to the outside community hospital for treatment related to her chronic illness. Upon her return to the prison, she discovered her property had been packed and prison administration planned to transfer her across the street to the infirmary at Valley State Prison for Women (VSPW). While waiting to be transferred, she went two hours without the oxygen provided by her specialized breathing machine. VSPW staff informed Dee she was being transferred on a 10-14 day “temporary overflow” due to overcrowding in the SNF. Dee spent 31 days at VSPW where - for the majority of this time - she was denied all her standard privileges (phone calls, yard time, access to goods on the commissary) and nearly all her personal property including reading glasses, writing materials, and legal paperwork. More alarming, advocates question whether the infirmary at VSPW is designed to house patients with long-term chronic conditions and whether or not it is able to provide Dee the unique and specialized medical attention she needs. Dee reported that she received no breathing treatments during her month of confinement at VSPW.

On June 6, 2002, Dee was shipped back to CCWF and placed in the administrative segregation cell located in the SNF and told by the Chief Medical Officer that she did not meet the criteria for placement in SNF despite the fact that the unit is specifically designed to house prisoners in need of long term care such as Dee. In response to this decision, she filed another appeal requesting an investigation into this decision. Shortly after filing this grievance, Dee was again shipped back to VSPW.

Joanie At the time the complaint was filed, Joanie, 44, had been incarcerated at CCWF since 1997. She spent the majority of that time confined to the SNF due to multiple debilitating medical conditions which required closed monitoring. Joanie filed a complaint with the DHS alleging that she had been subjected to verbal abuse, was locked in her cell for up to 15 hours a day, and that SNF staff failed to respond to her emergency call button. Following the filing of this complaint, Joanie was transferred from the SNF to a cell in the general population. In response to letters of concern by LSPC staff, the Chief Medical Officer at the prison insists that Joanie does not meet the criteria for placement in the SNF.

To find out more about the history of the struggle to end the abuse of women prisoners in the SNF, refer to the "Read More" section below, or contact Heidi Strupp at 415-255-7036 ext. 321 or heidi@prisonerswithchildren.org.

Read More:

	Abuse in the SNF: Women Prisoners Endure Abuse and Neglect in a Prison Medical Facility
	More about the history of the struggle to end the abuse of women prisoners in the SNF