Pelican Bay State Prison Medical Grievance

This petition is out of concern for the appalling conditions of the Health Care System of the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR). After 3 years of U.S. District Court, plus Federal Receivership (CDCR) has not been able to get a single one of its 33 prisons into compliance with the court settlement governing the prison health care system.
Since receivership was ordered nothing has changed for inmates. Californias prison health care system is faced with very complex health problems, which only a few of them have been touched on. Department of Corrections doctors are either indifferent or openly malignant to the health care needs of inmates. Otherwise given up or are apathetic. Prison health care providers do not identify prisoners as patients, which leads to misconduct and negligence. Specifically with in Pelican Bay State Prison by licensed health care providers who display extreme indifference. Prisoners in Californias prison are dying, becoming disabled and being neglected and returning to society worse off then when they entered prison.
There is a constant lack of licensed health care providers, plus a constant turnover of medical staff, which causes changes in medical treatment and interruptions or canceling of diagnostic plans. The Hepatitis C diagnosis and treatment program is disorganized and inconsistent. Much needed pain medication is denied, pain management is inadequate and/or nonexistent, currently its nonexistent and inmates with chronic pain continue to suffer. Theres a delay in getting test results. Prisoners are also denied medical treatment in retaliation for filing 602s inmate grievance against the health care department. This retaliation happens often within Pelican Bay State Prison.
The inmate medical appeal grievance process is very dysfunctional and futile for inmates seeking an impartial review of their medical issues. Given the scope and interconnection of the problematic conditions which were created by (CDCR) by decades of neglect and inadequacy of medical care in Californias prisons. The prison health care system had to be placed under Federal Receivership.
If the same people (CDCR) created these problems and the health care system had to be taken out of their control and placed under Federal Receivership to allow the inmate medical appeal grievance 602 process to remain in the hands of (CDCR). Allows the same dysfunctional system to continue its dysfunction. It is never good practice to allow any agency or administration to investigate itself. As there will always be a self serving interest in a favorable outcome or in the case of (CDCR) in a cover up or less than truthful investigations of medical complaints.
Pelican Bay State Prison Chief Medical Officer Doctor Michael Sayre. Family Nurse Practioner Sue Risenhoover, openly display deliberate indifference and are malignant to the heath care needs of inmates/patients at Pelican Bay State Prison. Health care manager, family nurse practioner Maureen McLean allows these medical staff members to conduct themselves in this manner.
Dr. Michael Sayre has falsified medical reports stating he has examined inmate when in fact he had not. He down plays inmates medical health problems and states they are fine. Yet in the inmates medical file there is more then sufficient documentation by various doctors stating otherwise. Family nurse practioner Sue Risenhoover conducts herself in the same manner.
Dr. Michael Sayre has further more retaliated against inmates who have files medical appeal grievances against medical department at Pelican Bay State Prison. After inmates file their 602 medical grievances Dr. Michael Sayre has discontinued much needed pain medication. He files false medical reports making defamatory statements to ensure an inmate will no longer receive adequate pain medication. He has asserted a custodial attitude approach to inmates/patients, rather then a medical and health care attitude.
Here are just 3 examples of the deliberate indifference and neglect that continue to occur at Pelican Bay State Prison. In the case of inmate Espudo H-10035, who suffers from chronic scapulary dysfunction in his right should since 2001. In April of 2005 the inmate was finally placed on an affective pain medication for 30 days. He informed the primary health care provider, family nurse practioner Sue Risenhoover that the 30 day trial pain medication was fully affective. She declined to continue the affective form of treatment. So inmate Espudo filed an inmate 602 medical grievance appeal on the medical department.
In turn Chief Medical Officer Dr. Michael Sayre retaliated again inmate Espudo for filing a medical grievance appeal. Dr. Michael Sayre in turn filed a falsified medical report on 11/17/2005 with defamatory remarks to ensure the inmate Espudo would never receive that pain medication again. This inmate continues to suffer from chronic pain due to his condition of chronic scapulary dysfunction. This inmate has also because severely ill once on September 23, 2006 and again on October 2, 2006. On October 2, 2006 he had to be placed in the prisons infirmary for 5 days. The medical department yet has to determine the cause of his illness.
In the case of another inmate, Morris C-06409, in October 2003, he sought to renew a 128 medical chrono authorizing medically necessary foot wear (all leather tennis shoes) for a condition called (Claw toe). Over the course of seventeen months, as a result of failure to provide medically prescribed treatment by (no less then 3 specialists, 5 doctors, 18 registered nurses and MTAs) Inmate Morris suffered cuts, bleeding, abrasions, bruises and severe pain to both his feet. Due to the deliberate indifference and negligence to inmate Morriss medical needs. Morris filed a civil action in Federal Court (ND. CAL.C-06-5015; SI)(PR). Family nurse practioner, Sue Risenhoover is part of that suit as a defendant.
In the case of another inmate, Reyes C-88996, medical history, suffered a cervical fracture resulting in a cervical fusion of his C-5 to C-6 cervical spine. He suffers from chronic pain, chronic nerve degeneration and chronic motor neuropathy in which he has been seeking medical treatment. Inmate Reyes was last seen by the neurologist almost 2 years ago, 1-4-05, at which time the neurologist noted that Reyess condition is worsening. There appears to be a progressive motor neuropathy with slight sensory component.
For inmate Reyess chronic pain, he was placed on the pain management program and seen on February 16, 2005 by pain management Dr. Friedman, at which time he was placed on a prescription of pain medication, plus issued a handball for therapeutic rehab due to weakening of hands, plus gloves to keep hands warm to prevent development of Raynauds. Dr. Friedman requested to see inmate Reyes every 30 to 60 days, to progress forward in pain management as needed and for re-evaluation at each visit for possible consideration of medical procedure (Stallate Gangolin Block). This was over almost 2 years ago and inmate Reyes was never seen by Dr. Friedman or any other pain management doctor since.
Inmate Reyes then filed an inmate 602 medical grievance appeal on the medical department in Pelican Bay State Prison in December 2005, for inadequate medical treatment and lack of treatment. Chief Medical officer, Dr. Michael Sayre reviewed this appeal on May 12, 2006. At which time in turn Dr. Sayre filed a falsified medical report stating he examined Reyes, when in fact he never did. Dr. Sayre also discontinued Reyess much needed pain medication as well as medical chronos for treatment of handball therapeutic rehab and gloves. This was done to inmate Reyes in retaliation for Reyes filing an inmate 602 medical on the medical department. Inmate Reyes still has not been seen by a Neurologist or pain management doctor and continues to suffer from chronic pain as many others within Pelican Bay State Prison.
The above examples are just a glimpse of inmates/patients who are not receiving adequate medical treatment for their medical conditions. As stated before one of the inmates has been forced to file a law suit in Federal Court for the violations of constitutional right to receive adequate medical care.
These law suits will come at the expense of taxpayers who pay for the salaries of prison medical staff who are at fault and continue to fail to provide proper medical treatment. The (CDCRs) failure to deliver constitutionally adequate medical care has been accompanied by extraordinary instances of the waste of taxpayers resources.
The States entrenched unwillingness and/or incapability to effectively discuss, let alone act upon, the crisis in Californias prisons underscores the critical importance of the court and the receivership in its attempts to assure inmates/patients of their constitutional rights. It is perhaps axiomatic that unless and until the root causes and environmental conditions within which the (CDCR) medical care system operates are significantly mitigated and ultimately changed and health care providers held accountable for their acts of deliberate indifference, constitutional levels of access to quality of medical care will not be achieved.

1. As a taxpayer of California we request the investigation into the medical health care providers and medical administration staff at Pelican Bay State Prison. To see if in fact that they are qualified and do not have a history of misconduct.
2. For the 602 inmate appeals concerning medical grievances to be placed under the sole control of the Federal Receivership. Inmates seeking relief and an impartial review of medical issues within (CDCRs) dysfunctional appeal system are futile for inmates. Medical grievances that are against medical doctors or family nurse practioners are reviewed by staff that holds an administrative position in the medical department who themselves are not doctors and not qualified to determine what may or may not be proper medical treatment. Plus inmates are retaliated upon for filing a 602 inmate medical appeal.
3. For Doctors, family nurse practioners and medical administrative staff to be held accountable for their illegal actions of falsified medical reports, acts of retaliation and acts of deliberate indifference. Only then will a true change occur with the quality of health care for inmates/patients.
4. For doctors and family nurse practioners who are primary health care providers to follow the medical recommendations of specialty care providers, such as Orthopedic, Physical therapy, Neurologist, Cardiologist, etc. The sole purpose to refer an inmate/patient to any specialty care provider is because they specialize in those areas and are qualified to recommend appropriate treatment.
5. Thus we ask (CDCR), the Federal Court Judge Henderson and the Federal Receiver Robert Sillen to hold Pelican Bay State Prison medical staff, Prison Chief Medical Officer Doctor Michael Sayre, Family Nurse Practioner Sue Risenhoover and health care manager, family nurse practioner Maureen McLean, accountable for their actions and correct these problems as soon as possible, not limited only to the dismissal of these named individuals

If any true change in establishing a new proper medical system within the Department of Corrections & Rehabilitation is to be achieved at all, each prison and its medical personnel must be held accountable for who ever fails to up hold their responsibilities and duties must be dismissed.