Inmate Health Care Provider Named in Lawsuit

A judge has ruled that a lawsuit against a Kansas-based inmate health care provider can move forward due to an allegation that their mistreatment cost a mentally ill Virginia inmate his life, as reported in Bloomberg.

Farah Saleh Farah, 24, died of dehydration on January 23, 2008. 

Farah was being held for 13 days in the Alexandria jail due to a probation violation of carrying a concealed handgun.  While incarcerated, and not taking the required medications for his paranoid schizophrenia, he stopped eating and drinking for several days.

When Farah finally requested a visit from a physician - as well as an IV and Ginger Ale - his requests were left unfulfilled until he succumbed within a matter of days.

Obah Farah Walker, Farah's sister, filed the lawsuit this past September in the U.S. District Court of Alexandria against Correct Care Solutions and three employees.

The lawsuit states, "Severe dehydration is painful and debilitating, and Farah suffered greatly before he finally lapsed into unconsciousness.  This result could and would have been avoided had defendants acted consistently with their constitutional, contractual and professional duties."

Correct Care Solutions denied any liability in response to the suit and claim that Farah's injuries were due to "the acts or omissions of others." The company said that they are not contracted to provide mental health care, food, or water to the prison's inmates.

Victor M. Glasberg, Walker's attorney from Alexandria, said, "The only reason folks are not generally appalled at what passes for health care in American jails and prisons is that they are happily ignorant of it."

Farah was born in New York City and diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia at the age of 18. He lived with his family in Alexandria since 1991.

Farah's medication is known to make him "functional, social, competent and friendly" per the lawsuit.  While refusal of his medication resulted in dehydration and hospital stays more than once.

He was arrested in 2007 for carrying a concealed weapon while on probation - he had also stopped his medication at this time - and ended up back in jail. 

His refusal to take his medication in jail, and his decision to eat and drink "virtually nothing", caused his condition to worsen.

Deputy sheriff Chris O'Dell said Farah's conditions were apparent enough to prison staff that they called in the nurses from Correct Care Solutions to check him over.  Deputy O'Dell said, "While he was always thin, in his last few days at the jail he looked positively cadaverous."

Farah finally asked for a doctor, IV and Ginger Ale two days before he died.  The nurse, in response to Farah's request, allegedly did nothing.  Another nurse, that arrived the next day, put him on the doctor's list of patients to see - in two days.  He was dead before then.

The medical examiner's report found that Farah had died of "dehydration due to psychosis with medication and food refusal due to schizophrenia, paranoid type."

The lawsuit states, "During the last days of Farah's life, any competent and reasonably diligent health care provider, including the individual defendants herein, had to have recognized from his woefully debilitated condition that this patient was in dire straits and needed immediately to be seen by a doctor."

There are also sworn statements made by both deputies and jail officials that the nurse on duty failed to provide medial care, didn't know where to find the defibrillator and told staff not to call 911.

On January 23, when Farah was found unresponsive, deputies ignored the nurse, called 911, and attempted to resuscitate Farah themselves until the first responders arrived.  Farah was pronounced dead at the hospital.

Walker has requested a trial by jury for unspecified damages.

If you or someone you care about has been injured, ill treated or died while incarcerated, click here to contact a personal injury lawyer from our directory to assist you with your case.