EklektikosByStar

April 15, 2021

Governor Kate Brown

Office Of The Governor

900 Court Street NE, Suite 254

Salem, OR 97301-4047

Dear Governor Brown,

Originally this letter was going directly to Juan Chavez, Attorney at Law with the Oregon Justice Resource Center, with a cc to you.  But, as the weighty subject matter accumulates and I remotely observe my  brother Dean’s health in steady decline behind bars, I am choosing  to inform you directly. Note that I am not writing this with an attitude of blame towards you in my heart. Given the abrupt onset of a global pandemic, and in light of Department of Corrections (DOC) institutional dysfunction you may not be privy to, I believe you’ve made good faith efforts on behalf of inmates. However, as our state’s leader, I believe you should know Dean’s story.

Since his hospitalization for COVID19 on December 18, 2020, Dean’s aftercare at OSP has lacked continuity. Granted, there are care providers who wish to do all they can to help my brother feel healthier. Some are familiar with his preexisting conditions, which are extensive and include traumatic brain injury. But it is clear that Oregon’s archaic inmate medical care/records system is not up to the task of efficiently addressing Dean’s medical needs. Further, I have absolutely no confidence in the DOC’s ability to execute an acceptable release plan that addresses his ongoing health needs, when his time’s up in about one year. Especially if, following the usual protocol, they delay working on his plan for another half year.

In order to grasp the DOC’s medical care system deficiencies, keep in mind that inmate medical records are still only paper files. While a health care provider may look at a computer when caring for an inmate, there is apparently nothing more on that screen than notes relevant to an appointment or procedure.  According to at least two staff members, medical files are housed in a building not necessarily near all providers. My brother has had to repeatedly explain his health history to care providers (including those in Behavioral Health Services) not privy to his file.

It is noteworthy that in 2015  it was reported that the Oregon State Legislature would be funding an upgrade to the DOC medical records system, go electronic and join the twenty first century. However, in budget reports two years following these glowing news reports, that line item seems to have been shuffled aside. Now, having monitored more than a full year of the pandemic wreaking havoc on the DOC, I believe that this subpar file system has contributed greatly to much human suffering.

I will not elaborate (in this letter) on all the gut-wrenching particulars of the year 2020 experienced within the DOC, as Dean sought to stay alive in spite of anti maskers, lockdown quarantine, chaos and smoke. But it is important to note that he was severely ill in December of 2019, while housed at Santiam Correctional institute. He and I consider it quite possible that he contracted a form of COVID at that time, when his lungs were badly damaged, a condition that continues to factor into his poor health.

Today I am focused on Dean’s official COVID diagnosis and the four months since he tested positive. Two days after being hospitalized, Dean was able to call me from his room. I learned that his heart rate was elevated and he was receiving treatment for a preexisting urinary infection. I could hear equipment in the background and kept the call brief, assuming that I’d be able to speak with a health care professional. I called the switchboard and came to know that was not the case. I was transferred to hospital security; and, the gentleman could not tell me anything about my brother’s status, that I would need to call the institution that Dean came from. The guard had no specific number or person to call. It was the weekend, and I could not reach anyone in Medical at OSP. Having spoken with the OSP Nurse Manager Christina Pries previously, I left her a message.

Keep in mind, it was thanks to my brother not being on a ventilator and someone handing him a phone, that I learned of his hospitalization. Had he been ventilated, I have no idea what protocol would have unfolded. More to the point, it is unclear how long it would take the hospital to ascertain that my brother’s advance directive (which is in a paper file) has my name on it. (As opposed to seeing my name and contact info appear in an inmate medical profile on a computer screen.)

About a day later Christina called me back and provided details from a lab report that she’d received, and which we discussed. She told me that she wanted to be sure, prior to his release from the hospital, that Dean be set up for “a drip”, so that he could be treated in the infirmary. It was also clear that I would not be able to speak with any doctor (treating Dean), in or out of the hospital.

Upon release from the Salem Hospital Dean was NOT put in the infirmary, but rather into a cell. (Obviously, not set up for a drip, and I have no clue how Christina’s request was conveyed.) To say this was an abrupt and remarkably uncomfortable situation after five days hospitalized with COVID is an understatement. Dean already had preexisting lung and blood platelet issues, was immune compromised and dealing with a recurring urinary infection. Blood work performed the week of his COVID hospitalization revealed that he suffers from Rhabdomyolysis.  Also, COVID left him with loss of weight and muscle mass, brain fog and a severe reduction in stamina.

In spite of all of the above, less than a month following his hospital release, on January 7^th Dean was abruptly woke up by an Officer In Charge (OIC) at 3 a.m. for culinary work duty. Apparently, in spite of his hospitalization and poor health, he was still on the “call list”. He explained to the OIC that he was recovering from COVID, that he could not possibly work. For this he received a  Misconduct Report. And for an additional three days he was woke up early in the morning. Prior to this series of events Dean had a stellar conduct record.

It was not until two months after Dean’s hospital release (around February 19^th)  that a “file review” took place, and a medical provider noted two remarkable (documented) facts. 1) that he was suppose to have gone to the infirmary directly following hospital release…and 2) he was to have started breathing treatments at that same time. So, two months late, at least # 2 was initiated. And the need for these treatments has continued. In fact, I believe his breathing issues are worsening. On multiple occasions he has had trouble while sleeping, as he also suffers from apnea. Last week he was experiencing extreme distress in the night, became dizzy, was put in a wheel chair and taken to the infirmary for a couple hours. This week he had an episode in the daytime, apparently while in the area where doctor visits occur.

On that same day Dean called me, to describe what occurred in detail. While one medical staff person assured him he was “going to be okay”, this was not at all what was going through Dean’s mind. He was extremely distressed. Another comment from a medical staff person stood out, though I have no clue whether Dean heard it in between gasps or in the course of regular conversation. The essence of it was that they’re “not really set up” to deal with “this sort of thing”. Rhetorically, I ponder…not set up in a waiting area?…not set up in an OSP doctors office?…not set up in the infirmary?  Regardless, I got the impression that the “sort of thing” was in reference to a particular remedy, administered as a shot.  No shot was given. 

Also, in the course of his medical visit, Dean asked why staff do not routinely check his platelet count. I am not sure if he has ever received a clear answer to this question (that he asks repeatedly). Nonetheless, this pertains to a health issue that long predates the Pandemic, and is relevant to how his medications should be monitored. But, alas, I suspect the reason for this medically advised recurring procedure is buried rather deep in his thick paper file.

Finally, below are two quotes, taken directly from AIC (Adult in Custody) Communication Forms sent to Medical/Sick Call by Dean:

1/2/21–“Are we doing what the hospital recommended…Dr.? I think not…”

1/8/21, regarding the 1/7/21 work wake up—“I can barely wrap my head around walking around, let alone my mental health. I can’t believe I am even dealing with this, considering my health issues.”

I trust that, after reading all of the above, you have a better understanding of the medical challenges Oregon inmates face, particularly in the era of COVID. Hopefully, it is also clear why I am so deeply disappointed by the lack of continuity in my brother’s medical care. And why I believe his case (among many) justifies a major overhaul of the Oregon Department of Corrections medical records system, and in turn improvements to inter-and-intra-departmental sharing. 

Thank you for your thoughtful consideration of my brother’s plight, as well as that of other inmates who’ve suffered behind bars during the Pandemic.

Sincerely,

Star Holmberg

State of Oregon Office Specialist 2, Ret. (Univ. Of Oregon)

Cc:        Juan Chavez, Attorney at Law, OJRC

            Collete Peters, Director, DOC

            Dean Sturgill, SID 4500242

Encl:     Misconduct Report

            My personal contact information