PART OF PRISON REFORM SERIES January 1, 2004RE: Denial of essential medical care by
State of Illinois, Illinois Department of Corrections and sabotage of Hepatitis C Virus medical treatment by state contracted medical care providers.
Hello, my name is Jimmy Kinslow, I am a forty - four year old man who made a terrible mistake when I was an impressionable teenager in 1978. Under influence of a thirty two year old biker, affiliated with Banditos Motorcycle Club in Southwest Texas, some innocent people lost their lives. I have never denied my participation in these terrible crimes, and have sought some method of atonement since beginning, without much measurable success, given my long imprisonment.
I was incarcerated in New Mexico when I was sent to Illinois in 1995. In summer of 2000 I became deathly ill with Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) from knee surgery I had when I was sixteen. It was my good fortune Illinois Department of Corrections (IDOC) had a Dr. Joseph Smith, employed as Medical Director for Stateville Correction Center, a very kind and compassionate physician. On his authority, I started my HCV medical treatments with Interferon/Rebetol (Ribivarin), before IDOC officials knew what he was doing. Dr. Smith hospitalized me on July 6, 2000. I began treatments on July 7, 2000. I was placed under a medical hold and my treatments were expensive. I was extremely grateful for blessing. This disease was killing me.
Within four days, on July 10, 2000, I was summoned from my hospital bed to be interrogated by IDOC Deputy Director, George DeTella, concerning my treatments. This was followed two days later with an interrogation by Deputy Director District 1, Lamark Carter and Stateville C.C. Warden, Kenneth Briley, concerning my hospitalization for treatment.
These three IDOC officials approached Dr. Joseph Smith and Barbara Miller, Health Care Unit (HCU) Administrator and tried to convince them to stop my medical treatments by showing them my file. That I was a very bad person, totally undeserving of medical treatment and they should simply wash their hands of me. Dr. Smith and Ms. Miller refused this unethical request and refused to read proffered file. I remained inside HCU and my treatments continued.
The minute my HCV medical treatments began to work, clearly shown by blood tests, these three IDOC officials began a series of events which resulted in my transfer to another prison facility on other side of State. It was a surprise announcement on December 6, 2000, just five months into my year long HCV medical treatments. Since I was under a medical hold and in middle of treatments, Medical Director, Dr. Joseph Smith, called Warden and Agency Medical Director, Dr. Willard Elyea, to stop my transfer before HCV treatments were completed. In a stunning development, Dr. Smith was told to "shut up and sit down, it's an administrative decision" and he had nothing to say in matter. He was told this in front of me on December 6, 2000.
I was transferred to Menard Correction Center on December 7, 2000, just five months into my HCV medical treatments. The HCV treatments were working perfectly, as documented in my blood tests.
Within thirty five days of my transfer to Menard C.C., Dr. Adrian Feinerman, M.C.C. Medical Director, sabotaged my treatments by interruption of medication schedule and changing brands of medications in middle of treatments. This was done despite clear medical warnings to never do so. Dr. Feinerman canceled prescribed medical diet and canceled prescribed sleeping medications that counter Interferon induced insomnia. My previously successful HCV medical treatments began to rapidly reverse and fail, until they reached a point where Dr. Feinerman terminated my medical treatments, against my will and without my permission April 26, 2001, two months short of prescribed course of treatments.
I was left to rot in my prison cell after this, in extreme physical pain, with no medical treatment for later documented severe stomach/ intestinal infection with H. Pylori bacteria. Nor were there any treatments to ease documented side effects stemming from Hepatitis infection itself.
We are double celled with other prisoners here in Illinois. During this period I received as my cell mate, a man just newly released from infamous Illinois Death Row. He had a lovely lady from London visiting him, who he later married. She heard about my situation, what had transpired, how I was bedridden in my cell, physically exhausted and drained from both disease and chemotherapy. She was horrified at what I had been put through by Dr. Feinerman and prison HMO group "Health Professionals, Ltd." (HPL). This group is paid almost $7,000,000 per year to provide medical care to prisoners at Menard C.C..
