Endorsements and editorials are made solely by the ownership of this newspaper. As is the case at most newspapers across the nation, The Spokesman-Review newsroom and its editors are not a part of this endorsement process. (Learn more.)

Editorial: Lawsuit should improve jail’s medication practices

Sun., Dec. 13, 2015

It’s unfortunate that it took a lawsuit, but it looks as if Spokane County is making the changes necessary to ensure inmates get the medications they need.

The lawsuit stemmed from a case in which an inmate with multiple mental health issues was deprived of prescribed drugs, even though his parents had a judicial order for them. A conflict between the jail’s formal policy and its practices were at the heart of the delay.

Robert “Danny” Lee was arrested for firing paintballs at people, and began serving a nine-month sentence in May 2013. Lee’s parents knew their son would need his medications while incarcerated, so they contacted their son’s psychiatrist, got prescriptions filled and secured a court order. The parents had a pharmacist put a safety seal on the medications.

But county detention officials said accepting outside meds was against the jail’s practices, and that the jail would have to be the supplier. In the meantime, Lee went without his meds for many days.

However, the jail’s formal policy, written in 1995, allowed drugs to be brought into the jail and dispensed if the jail physician reviewed them, according to a July 2013 Spokesman-Review article. But, as jail Commander John McGrath explained at the time, the nurses union complained about going through pills, so the jail changed its practices. But the formal policy wasn’t revised.

Spokane County detention officials have apologized to the Lees. The county settled the lawsuit for $50,000. The county also paid out $28,000 in an earlier claim when it failed to provide the medication policy to the family.

Lee’s civil rights attorney, Jeffry Finer, said the county has already embarked on some important changes that should help head off dangerous delays in delivering prescription drugs to all patients.

The jail has hired more nurses, and a mental health professional is now available for consultation when nurses aren’t available. The jail has switched pharmaceutical providers. It used to order meds online with a Pennsylvania provider but now it uses one closer to home to speed the process.

The county has also put medical forms online in the hopes of avoiding lags between entering jail and getting meds delivered.

There are some delays the county can’t control, such as physicians not returning calls in a timely manner, or delays in receiving medical records.

The jail’s safety concerns are not trivial. Many inmates who file complaints are seeking pills to satisfy addictions. Others may hoard drugs for resale. With more than 20,000 inmates to deal with a year, dispensing drugs in a safe fashion is a huge undertaking.

Nonetheless, it does look like bureaucratic impediments were in place. The good news is that the county’s detention services are responding in a positive fashion.