City Held In Contempt Over Missed Medical Appointments In NYC Jails

NEW YORK CITY — The city has been held in contempt for failing to connect city jail detainees to medical services, court records show.

A Bronx Supreme Court judge Tuesday ordered the Correction department to fix the problem in 30 days or face a $100 fine for each missed medical visit in a two-month period, according to court records and a Legal Aid Society statement.

“[The Correction department] failed to meet its heavy burden," wrote Judge Elizabeth Taylor.

"[The] failure to provide or delay inmates access to health services constitutes disobedience of [a December court order.]"

The Correction department affirmed its commitment to improving services in a statement to Patch.

“Ensuring people in custody get timely medical care is and always has been a priority for the Department of Correction," a spokespersons said. "Commissioner Molina and his team are committed to addressing these issues.”

The Correction department must now prove it can provide timely medical access to detainees or pay about $190,900 in fines for the nearly 2,000 missed appointments in December and January, according to the order.

This could prove difficult as the problem stems from COVID-19 linked staff shortages and, as of Tuesday, New York City once again finds itself at high alert.

In an affidavit filed to the court, DOC Bureau Chief of Facility Operations Ada Pressley placed blame on staff shortages tied to the pandemic that saw up to 2,229 service members out sick in January.

City records also show the total number of missed medical appointments in city jails doubled from 8,400 in February nearly 17,500 in March.

Not every missed appointment is subject to a fine.

This is the latest ruling in the class action lawsuit brought by the Milbank law firm and public defender groups Legal Aid Society and the Brooklyn Defender Services.

“Today, the Court acknowledged the City’s egregious ongoing failure to fulfill its obligation to provide incarcerated people with timely access to medical care," the public defenders said in a joint statement.

"This failure has caused undue suffering, resulting in long-lasting health impacts and even death."

Their allegations are outlined in an extensive New York Times report that found delays had dire consequences for detainees.

As an example, one man waited a year to have cavities fixed and saw his infected mouth leak blood and puss.