even inmates deserve medical care (updated 4/29)

Hello everyone I have a very good friend that has a niece that is currently being held in the Missouri Department of Corrections. I do not know the exact details of her incarceration and that is not the point anyway. The problem is that she is suffering a tooth infection that is not being treated not even with meds. Her sister has sent an email that give a little more information about the details and I am going to just copy and paste it here, because it is her intention to let everyone know about the poor health care her sister is being provided, and I am willing to help her get the message out. (I have not edited or anything this is the letter of one concerned sister for another)

On Behalf of my sister Kalynne Graves,

 

To Whom It May Concern:

 

My name is Katherine Holloway. My sister is Kalynne Graves, and she is incarcerated in St. Louis County jail in Clayton Missouri. The night my sister was incarcerated she was on her way home from the hospital because she had a terribly infected tooth. She received antibiotics for the tooth, but unless she received either a root canal or extraction the infection would return. I know this because I have worked as a dental assistant for several years. Unfortunately she was arrested and incarcerated and did not receive any p ost-op care. Even though the infection was cleaned out prior to her arrest, she let her guards now that she now needed further care. They allowed her to remain on antibiotics and ibuprophen for the first seven days of her incarceration, and then nothing. This was two months ago. And as I knew it would, the infection has returned. It is an upper molar that is infected. I am very concerned about this is because if the infection remains untreated it could get into her bloodstream and spread to her brain and cause further complications that could ultimately cause death. It has enraged me and my family that this matter is being grossly overlooked because she is an inmate. She may be incarcerated, but she is still human and deserves proper medical care. I do not want to get a call from anyone telling me my sister has died from unknown medical reasons. To me they would not be unknown. It would be the fault of the MO Department of Corrections for ignoring this. I will personally hold them responsible for any neglect that could hurt my sister. I have tried to contact several people, including my sister’s attorney, with not so much as a courtesy call in return.  I will be forwarding this email to everyone I know and instructing them to pass it on, and so on. Next I will be contacting news channels, posting blogs on  the internet, and even protesting outside the jail if I  have to in order to get her the care that she needs. I sincerely hope that this mat ter will be resolved so that my sisters tooth infection and the excruciating pain that she is in will be taken care of quickly and efficiently. I would appreciate someone contacting me when this is received to inform me of what, if any, actions will be taken.

 

A very disappointed Missouri Taxpayer,

Katherine Holloway