By ESTEBAN PARRA, LEE WILLIAMS and PATRICK JACKSON
The News Journal
11/03/2005
DOVER -- In a two-hour meeting Wednesday with the House Democratic Caucus, Correction Commissioner Stan Taylor said he had solutions to improve inmate health care in the state's prisons.
Those solutions include seeking an additional $150,000 for contract medical consultants, two more full-time medical employees and a peer review by the Department of Public Health of 50 to 100 cases a year.
Taylor answered questions about prison health care from the 15-member caucus for nearly two hours behind closed doors.
He explained how St. Louis-based Correctional Medical Services was awarded a $25.9 million contract to replace First Correctional Medical of Tucson, Ariz., without the need for a competitive bidding process.
According to the presentation, First Correctional Medical was awarded the Department of Correction contract in June 2002, but two years later, the prison's Medical Review Committee identified "problems with First Correctional Medical's performance."
The Department of Correction asked its medical accreditation firm to audit First Correctional Medical's performance from December 2004 to January 2005. According to documents Taylor provided to the caucus, the audit showed "several problems with medical administration and clinical practices including record keeping, utilization management, medical history and sick call follow-up."
The News Journal submitted a request under Delaware's Freedom of Information Act for this audit, but Attorney General M. Jane Brady denied the newspaper's request.
Taylor's meeting with the caucus stemmed from a series of articles in The News Journal, which published a six-month investigation into prison health care highlighting AIDS-related inmate deaths and suicides over the past four years, and allegations by inmates of poor medical treatment for cancer, meningitis and hepatitis.
After the evening presentation, some lawmakers had questions and concerns.
"I read the stories. Sure there's a problem," said House Minority Leader Robert F. Gilligan, D-Sher-wood Park. "It's not a perfect situation."
"I would have liked to know how the general population is being affected by communicable diseases coming out of the prisons," said Rep. James Johnson, D-New Castle.
Prompted in part by the newspaper's series, the U.S. Department of Justice has launched a preliminary inquiry into the Department of Correction's management and inmate health care.
Taylor was accompanied by Mark Brainard, Gov. Ruth Ann Minner's chief of staff, and Robert Byrd of Wood-Byrd Government Relations, a Wilmington lobbyist firm. Bird said his firm was hired by Correctional Medical Services. Wood-Byrd has also lobbied for The News Journal.
Taylor's presentation to the 15 Democrats came one night after he briefed the 25-member House Republican caucus for 45 minutes. More briefings for the Senate caucuses are planned.
Contact Esteban Parra at 324-2299 or eparra@delawareonline.com., investigative reporter Lee Williams at 324-2362 or lwilliams@delawareonline.com and Patrick Jackson at 678-4274 or pjackson@delawareonline.com.
