Inmates Are Humans First: A Call for Urgent Medical Care at the Washoe County Jail

 

Inmates Are Humans First: A Call for Urgent Medical Care at the Washoe County Jail

A person does not stop being human when they enter a jail. They still feel pain. They still get sick. And they still need medical care when their condition is getting worse.

I am deeply concerned about a person held at the Washoe County Detention Facility in Reno who, according to the information shared with me, has a MRSA infection, vomits throughout the day, and has lost a substantial amount of weight. I have also been told that doctors have recommended hospital care and intravenous antibiotics. I am asking the facility to act urgently on those concerns and to explain what care is being provided.

MRSA is an infection that can resist several antibiotics. The CDC warns that an untreated MRSA infection can lead to sepsis or death. It can also spread through contact with infected wounds or contaminated items. In a jail, timely treatment and infection prevention protect the sick person, other people in custody, and staff.

Why is someone who is reportedly vomiting every day and losing significant weight still waiting for answers? Has a clinician reassessed the infection and the treatment that appears not to be working? Has the person been evaluated for dehydration and other complications? If hospital treatment has been recommended, what is delaying it?

Washoe County says NaphCare is its contracted medical provider. That makes accountability a shared concern: the medical team and the Sheriff’s Office should ensure that this person receives a prompt, thorough evaluation and hospital transfer if clinically needed. Decisions about urgent care must be guided by medical need.

I am also asking for appropriate precautions to prevent the infection from spreading, and for a clear answer about whether this case must be reported to public health authorities. I cannot verify from outside the facility what decisions have been made, who made them, or why. Those are questions the people responsible for this person’s care should answer.

Incarceration should never mean watching someone become sicker while their family struggles to get a response. Inmates are humans first. Please treat this as the urgent medical concern it is.

What needs to happen now

Washoe County identifies NaphCare as its contracted medical provider. I am calling on the medical team and the Sheriff’s Office to ensure a prompt, thorough evaluation, appropriate precautions against infection, and hospital transfer if clinically needed. I am also asking them to determine whether public health reporting is required.

I cannot verify from outside the facility what decisions have been made, who made them, or why. The people responsible for this person’s care should provide answers and act on the medical findings.

Incarceration should never mean watching someone become sicker while their family struggles to get a response. Inmates are humans first. Please treat this as the urgent medical concern it is.

If you share this concern, please share this post and call for a timely medical response. Families and friends can report medical concerns through NaphCare’s line at 1-800-592-4611 or friendsandfamily@naphcare.com.

Support my writing and advocacy through Buy Me a Coffee. Your support helps me keep bringing attention to issues affecting people and families who need to be heard.

With compassion and a commitment to being heard,

Veronica Davis
Softer Life Beyond Trauma
Read more · Support my writing

#InmatesAreHumansFirst #HumaneHealthcare #HealthcareForAll #CorrectionalHealthcare #MRSAAwareness #PatientSafety #WashoeCounty #RenoNevada #FamiliesForJustice #SofterLifeBeyondTrauma