PHILADELPHIA – A man formerly in the Philadelphia prison system says that due to being given sub-standard medical care, he required surgery that could have been avoided, suffered in immense pain, developed a MRSA infection and has been left permanently disfigured.
Gregory Barrow filed suit in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania on Aug. 19 versus the City of Philadelphia, Corizon Health, Inc., Bruce Herdman, Lolitha Trivikram, M.D., Mohammed Haque, M.D., Adekunie Gbadamosi, M.D., Donna Plummer Leone, N.P., Charlett Fentress, M.A., Steven Ibraham, M.D., Victoria Tunacao, R.N., Oluyemisi Adekunle, L.P.N., a John Doe Corizon employee and John Doe corrections officers. All parties are of Philadelphia.
“From November 2021 through December 2021, the City of Philadelphia contracted with Corizon to provide health care to all prisoners and pretrial detainees housed in the Philadelphia Prison System. The City of Philadelphia and Corizon are responsible for creating, implementing and enforcing policies, practices, and procedures to ensure that all pretrial detainees and prisoners are provided proper medical and healthcare while in their custody. At the time, plaintiff was a 61-year-old male with a history of health problems,” the suit says.
“Previous to the time of instant matter, plaintiff had a spine stimulator implant in his body to manage pain from three right hip surgeries and two ventral hernia repairs. Further, since the surgeries, plaintiff was permanently on blood thinners due to a history of Deep Vein Thrombosis. During plaintiff’s initial incarceration, Nov. 25, 2021, plaintiff submitted sick call slips for a lump on his right buttock and associated pain, all of which were ignored. Unrelated to the instant matter, plaintiff received blood thinner medication from the prison. Plaintiff was routinely transported to the medical center at the Curran-Fromhold Correctional Facility for the blood thinner medicine.”
From Nov. 25, 2021, through Dec. 3, 2021, plaintiff submitted multiple sick call slips and grieves in relation to the lump on his right buttocks, all of which were ignored.
Barrow developed a boil on his right buttock, also referred to as cellulitis or an abscess, infected with Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), which he contends was ignored by doctors over the subsequent week.
The surgery to treat the boil took place at Nazareth Hospital on Dec. 11, 2021, but the suit says that despite specific instructions, doctors at the prison did not follow the prescribed schedule for the plaintiff’s surgical aftercare.
“On Dec. 30, 2021, plaintiff met with defendant Ibraham and complained of continued pain from the wound from the surgery and the wound dressing. The medical records indicate defendant Ibraham knew plaintiff was not given Clindamycin but instead was taking Bactrim from his cell. On or about Dec.31, 2021, the PPS released plaintiff from custody. On Jan. 10, 2022, plaintiff went to Roxborough Hospital near his home for treatment for the wound. The doctors at Roxborough Hospital treated the wound and gave him a dressing. The doctors told him he would be better suited to return to Nazareth Hospital for future care. On Jan. 11, 2022, plaintiff voluntarily returned to Nazareth Hospital with worsening pain and drainage from the buttock wound from the site of the previous abscess. Plaintiff was diagnosed with cellulitis and a new abscess due to the lack of care from the defendant,” the suit states.
“Plaintiff’s wound was again cleaned and re-dressed. Plaintiff was discharged with new antibiotics. Since the incident, plaintiff received home health care to treat the wound and the MRSA infection. Since the incident, plaintiff has seen the treating physician from Nazareth twice for care and has been a regular patient with a dermatologist for wound care management. Based upon information and belief, had plaintiff been given proper care by the defendants from the time of his initial complaints regarding the lump on his buttock in late November 2021, plaintiff would not have needed surgery and would not have had a continued MRSA infection. Plaintiff is now permanently disfigured. In addition, he has a massive dent in his right buttock due to the infections and surgeries due to the lack of care provided by the defendants.”
For counts of violations to the Fourteenth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution through failure to protect and denial of medical care, supervisor liability and municipal liability, negligence and vicarious liability, the plaintiff is seeking damages in excess of $5,000,000 in compensatory damages, delay damages, interest, attorney’s fees and allowable costs of suit and brings this action to recover same.
The plaintiff is represented by Brian J. Zeiger of Levin & Zeiger, in Philadelphia.
The defendants have not yet obtained legal counsel.
U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania case 2:22-cv-03322
From the Pennsylvania Record: Reach Courts Reporter Nicholas Malfitano at nick.malfitano@therecordinc.com