Legislators, ACLU to look into allegations of dangerously poor prison health care
The Santa Fe Reporter detailed last month allegations that the company providing health care in the state’s prisons may have altered records and is providing dangerously poor care to inmates.
In an in-depth and investigative series of articles, Dan Frosch of the Reporter pieced together the first comprehensive look at the changes Wexford Health Services, a Pennsylvania-based company, has made since Gov. Bill Richardson’s administration brought in the company to cut costs.
In addition to the allegations of possible altering of records, six former employees allege that “Wexford staff improperly doled out prescription drugs to inmates; canceled inmates’ medical appointments because of staff shortages; and, to save money, failed to send sick inmates off-site to hospitals expeditiously,” according to the most recent article.
Now, state Rep. Joseph Cervantes, D-Las Cruces, and other legislators plan to take a hard look at the situation. So does the American Civil Liberties Union.
The Courts, Corrections and Justice Committee, which Cervantes co-chairs along with Sen. Cisco McSorley, D-Albuquerque, will meet in Hobbs on Oct. 19 and 20 and will discuss the Wexford contract, according to the Reporter.
Cervantes told the Reporter concerns raised in its articles prompted the discussion.
“The issues (the Reporter) has raised have not come before our committee recently. Inevitably, you get a perception that the management wants you to see, but we want to go beyond that,” Cervantes said.
He expects Wexford and state officials to answer questions from legislators, and asked that others with concerns about the system come forward.
Peter Simonson, executive director of the ACLU-New Mexico, told the newspaper his office is reviewing the newspaper’s reports to determine whether there have been violations of inmates’ civil rights.
“We’ve been aware of Wexford’s poor services, and we’re examining the issue to see if we should consider litigation,” Simonson told the newspaper.
You can read the articles in the Reporter’s excellent series by clicking here, here and here.