Employees at a state-run correctional facility neglected an inmate’s medical needs by delaying his access to medication, according to a lawsuit filed Thursday.
Daniel R. Haney is suing the Illinois Department of Corrections and four employees for negligence and misconduct in handling a medical emergency while he was an inmate at the Crossroads Adult Transition Center at 3210 W. Arthington St., according to the lawsuit filed in Cook County Circuit Court. Haney suffered from intestinal illness for days because he could not obtain a prescription.
On July 18, Haney was taken to Stroger Hospital with symptoms of excessive diarrhea and vomiting, where he was diagnosed with gastritis, according to the suit. He was prescribed an acid blocker to take before his evening meal the next day and was discharged just after 7:30 p.m.
Starting at 11:45 a.m. the next morning, Haney repeatedly asked employees if his prescription had been filled. Haney began to get sick again that afternoon, according to the suit.
By 8 p.m., Haney was told that his prescription had been dropped off, but that the staff had been too busy to pick it up, and his medicine was still not available on July 21 when inmates were called to take medications, according to the suit. He remained sick with excessive diarrhea and vomiting from July 20 through July 23.
Haney requested to be taken again to the hospital early July 23, and was eventually taken to Stroger Hospital that afternoon, according to the suit. The doctor who saw him was the same one who saw him a few days earlier, so the doctor filled Haney’s prescription before he left the hospital.
Although Haney recovered from his illness after that, he received a bill Aug. 8 from Cook County Hospital for more than $2,000 for the July 23 services, according to the lawsuit. Haney is suing for up to $100,000 in damages, claiming that he would not have had to go to the hospital the second time if not for the negligence of the facility employees. He also claims their conduct was deliberate and malicious, according to the suit.
Source: Suit: IDOC employees left sick inmate without medication | Chicago Sun-Times
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