ANOTHER MEDICAL NIGHTMARE

On February 10, 2005 a Dallas County Jail medical nightmare began for me.  That is when I was arrested by Farmers Branch Police for allegedly violating my probation by failing to report.  I was sent to R.H.D. Memorial Hospital due to injuries sustained from the force used against me by the arresting officers.

At the hospital I was diagnosed as having a fractured nose, facial contusions and head injuries.  The following morning, after being released from the hospital, I was transported to the Dallas County Jail at Leu Sterrett.  The book-in officers were told of my medical condition and also about my other health care needs: Epilepsy, asthma and bi-polar disorder.  Despite the officers being informed, I was never seen by anyone from the jail's classification nor medical staff.

What is really ironic about this is somehow the jail's classification department and medical staff assigned me to work as a trustee on the jail's sanitation crew.  Thirty-seven days into my incarceration I still had not received any of my medications nor had I been examined by anyone from the jails medical staff.

During this period of time I was removed from the Trustee crew and transferred to the government center/George Allen Building due to my inability to perform the work they demanded of me because of my medical condition. My request and my families repeated calls to the jail and sheriff's office about my lack of medical attention proved to be useless.

It was on or about March 16th/17th, one of my worst days in jail, when I suffered the first of several violent epileptic seizures while at the jail.  I cracked two of my teeth and busted my lip during this particular seizure.  Witnesses in my cell told me later that it took about 45 minutes or so and lots of yelling and banging before guards acknowledged my medical emergency.  Even then, witnesses say, the guards refused to summon a nurse or remove me from where I lay because medical staff said they had no record of me being epileptic. I eventually was taken to the medical department for treatment.

Starting that morning in March, I began to receive medications for my epilepsy. The only problem was that some days there was no medical staff on duty at the government center/George Allen Building, so no one at the jail facility received their medications.  This was a big concern for not only myself but for others in my cell block, which included Danny Helton and Curtis Redd, both of whom are diabetics. 

On other days the nursing staff simply neglected to bring my medications during rounds.  This translated into my sometimes receiving medication on the morning shift but not on the evening shift and visa-versa. This also increased my chances of continuous seizures, recklessly placing me at greater risks of suffering additional physical injuries, even possible death.

I continued to have seizures during my entire stay at the jail. It's also worthy to note I was never seen by a dentist for treatment sustained to my teeth injuries.  I was never examined by a doctor. 

I consider myself among the fortunate at the jail. As horrible as my experience was, I met others while detained in worse situations than I.

While the controversy over jail medical care rages between the commissioners, the city and the jail, those of us experiencing the repercussions of poor or non-existent treatment continue to suffer.  When will the healing begin?

Lakeith Amir-Sharif