Asylum Medicine

Hawaiian Flames - photo by JoAnn Sturman

Scott Sturman
fliesinyoureyes.com

Note: Click the hyperlinked text to learn more about prison doctors and Dr. Halderman’s ingenious plan she discusses in an interview with Comcast News.

Every so often an article appears in the newspaper or on the Internet where one knows the person involved in the story. This morning I checked my email and ... Voila! It’s the type of story that drives any taxpayer into a frenzy. In a state strapped for cash and without any cogent plan to extricate itself, we discover a former Fresno doctor earned $777,000 last year working for the California prison system. What is ironic is the doctor’s clinical skills have been called into question, so his job is restricted to paper work. At about $400 per hour even his staunchest advocates may be hard pressed to convince California tax payers that they are getting their money’s worth.

The California prison system is rife with corruption and is inordinately expensive. It begs the question of what level of care inmates should receive. Should they undergo surgical procedures where medical therapy is a less expensive option? Is a coronary artery stent placement warranted when beta blockers and nitrates are available?

Twenty years ago our group provided services to an outlying hospital which had a contract with one of the state prisons. In order to leave the confines of the prison, some inmates chewed the back of their hands and spit into the wounds. The ensuing infection required prolonged hospitalization with multiple operations, intravenous antibiotics, and copious amounts of morphine. And of course, even though the inmates were handcuffed to hospital beds, two prison guards were required at the bedside twenty four hours a day. It wasn’t cheap, and the inmates knew how to play the game.

Recently, California Assemblywoman Linda Halderman, who is also a board certified general surgeon, offered a well reasoned and financially prudent solution to rescue the beleaguered California prison system from itself. She proposed using the University of California medical schools and residency programs to provide care for inmates. The plan will save millions of dollars, and prisoners will receive better care. It’s a brilliant idea and a win-win situation, but the lunatics run the California legislature just like they run the prison system.