Health Care

My daughter Laurie Beth Nelson needs a "gastric neurostimulator". This medical device, implanted in the stomach, will stimulate the nerves that allow the stomach to empty. Laurie's insurance company Premera Blue Cross (via her employer Starbucks) is denying coverage for this device. The device is used to treat an incurable condition called gastroparesis, where the stomach no longer empties regularly, causing nausea, vomiting, and dehydration. Because Laurie has received a kidney-pancreas transplant, a feeding tube is not optional due to the risk of infection. There are no medications to treat this disease. The constant nausea and frequent vomiting that she experiences as a result of the gastroparesis are making it difficult for her to absorb her transplant medications that prevent rejection of her transplanted organs. Laurie has been admitted to the hospital monthly, sometimes weekly, for IV. hydration and medication that she cannot keep down due to nausea and vomiting. Premera Blue Cross helped cover the cost of her life-saving transplant, but refuses to cover this device which will keep it from failing. After all that Laurie has endured to stay alive, this is inconceivable, but true. Please demand that Premera Blue Cross pay for the gastric neurostimulator so that Laurie can continue her fight for a normal, healthy life.

Prisoners in Canada are suffering and dying due to inadequate health care.  Many prisoners report long waits (up to years) for medical attention, misdiagnoses, poor pain management, a lack of mental health support, as well as difficult living conditions including sweltering heat in the summer,  cold in the winter, poor quality food, disturbing noise levels, restrictive communication with families and more. On several occasions, the Correctional Investigator (CI) has raised serious questions about the quality of health care and diagnostic processes in federal prisons without any adequate changes from Correctional Services Canada (CSC). The release of healthy individuals from prisons is important to public health. Prison health is public health! Although this petition focuses on the federal prison system in Canada, the substance of these recommendations should also be implemented within prisons under provincial and territorial jurisdiction as well as in all prisons worldwide, in which prisoners can regularly experience poor health care. This petition calls on the Prime Minister of Canada, Justin Trudeau to mandate the Hon. Bill Blair, the Hon. Patty Hajdu, and the Hon. David Lametti to work together to ensure those in Canadian prisons have full access to health care that meets the requirements of the World Health Organization’s Prison Health Policy guidelines, the UN’s Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners, the Corrections and Conditional Release Act and the UN’s Bangkok Rules. This includes decent and compassionate health care of prisoners with respect to their dignity and human rights (note 1). Specifically, we call on the federal government to: 1.  Ensure that all prisoners have access to: o   full yearly physical and dental examinations based on a standard protocol for all prisoners in Canadian correctional institutions; o   prompt professional medical appointments leading to swift diagnoses and treatment of potentially serious conditions, such as cancer; o   prompt professional medical appointments, treatment, and support, which must include eye care, dental care, mental health care, humane substance withdrawal protocols, uninterrupted medical prescriptions upon incarceration and medical care for chronic and episodic conditions such as HIV and AIDS, hepatitis C virus (HCV), multiple sclerosis (MS), Parkinson's disease, diabetes, lung disease, heart disease, Alzheimer's disease and others; o   palliative care and simple, swift compassionate release when terminally ill; o   culturally specific and holistic treatment in support of the WHO Traditional Medicine Strategy 2014–2023; 2.  Ensure conditions that protect and enhance health by not violating protections against cruel and unusual punishment under the Charter or international human rights law. This would, in effect, reduce the number of prisoners in each prison (note 2). 3.  Transfer responsibility for the health of prisoners to community health care services away from correctional authorities.  This is important because the prison system does not meet  acceptable standards of care because of a lack of health resources and conflicts between healthcare and security protocols; 4.  Fund community health care services to be able to provide health care services to prisoners and fund the training of community health care personnel in the provision of health care in the prison context, including the legal obligation to ensure equivalent quality health care for prisoners; 5.  Support the rotation of health care personnel between working with prisoners and working with the public outside prisons; 6.  Ratify Optional Protocol to the Convention Against Torture, and implement its mechanisms for monitoring places of detention; 7.  Establish panels of independent specialist physicians and nurses to carry out mortality reviews on prisoners who die while in the custody or control of Correctional Services Canada; 8.  Be accountable for implementing recommendations made by the Office of the Correctional Investigator, including by mandating publicly provided detailed rationale in the event any recommendations are not implemented within given time frames. This petition has been launched by the families of David Huxtable and Peter Collins. Both suffered extreme pain and died of cancer following a lack of adequate medical care and medical attention by Correctional Services Canada. This petition is raised in the names of all prisoners who have suffered and died under inadequate health care in all prisons everywhere. Thank you for signing and circulating this petition both within and outside of Canada. Please go to the facebook page if you would like to connect more with us: https://www.facebook.com/Improve‐Health‐Care‐in‐Canadian‐Prisons‐Petition‐165516223988583/ The recommendations listed in this petition are endorsed by:The John Howard Society of Canada: http://www.johnhoward.ca/ The Canadian Association of Elizabeth Fry Societies:                  http://www.caefs.ca/ Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network:http://www.aidslaw.ca/ St. Leonard's Society of Canadahttp://www.stleonards.ca/Rittenhouse: A New Vision:                             http://www.rittenhouseanewvision.com/ PASAN: http://www.pasan.org/ Prison Lives USA: https://prisonlives.com/ International CURE: http://www.curenational.org/ The West Coast Prison Justice Society: https://prisonjustice.org/about/ South Riverdale Community Health Centre https://www.srchc.ca/ Professor Terri Leclercq: http://www.prisongrievances.com/ Prison Justice Film Festival: https://prisonjusticefilm.wordpress.com/about/ St. Leonard's Society of North Vancouverhttp://halfwayhouses.ca/en/region/bcyhha/facility/st_leonards_of_north_vancouver/Journal of Prisoners on Prisonshttp://www.jpp.org/Criminalization and Punishment Education Projecthttp://cp-ep.org/Writing Across WallsRestoring Dignity and HopeThe John Howard Society of Manitobahttp://www.johnhoward.mb.ca/wp/  Note 1:  Particularly via the use of ss. 29, 81, 84, 85, 86 and 87 of the Corrections and Conditional Release Act, accompanied by adequate funding as required. Note 2:  By the use of ss. 29, 81, 84, 85, 86 and 87 of the Corrections and Conditional Release Act, accompanied by funding as required. References UN Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners including clear health guidelines latest revision 17 December 2015 (The Nelson Mandela Rules):http://16889-presscdn-0-48.pagely.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/1957/06/ENG.pdf The WHO Traditional Medicine Strategy 2014–2023:http://www.who.int/medicines/publications/traditional/trm_strategy14_23/en/ Corrections and Conditional Release Act:http://www.laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/acts/C-44.6/FullText.html UN Bangkok Rules:https://www.unodc.org/documents/justice-and-prison-reform/Bangkok_Rules_ENG_22032015.pdf  “Providing Better Health Services in Prisons can Help Improve Lives”:http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/fiona-kouyoumdjian/providing-better-health-s_b_7543884.html WHO Guide to the essentials in prison health:http://www.euro.who.int/__data/assets/pdf_file/0009/99018/E90174.pdf?ua=1 Article in Canadian Medical Association Journal: (This is still the case.)http://www.cmaj.ca/content/185/6/E249 Open letter to Justin Trudeau from prisoners demanding changes, including in health care:https://demandprisonschange.wordpress.com/2016/02/13/dear-liberal-government/ “Report gives diagnosis of poor health in Canadian Prisons.”:http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/report-gives-diagnosis-of-poor-health-in-canadian-prisons/article29226606/ 2014-2015 Annual Report of the Office of the Correctional Investigator, including a large section on health care:http://www.oci-bec.gc.ca/cnt/rpt/annrpt/annrpt20142015-eng.aspx#s3 2015/2016 Annual Report of the Office of the Correctional Investigator, including a section on health care:http://www.oci-bec.gc.ca/cnt/rpt/pdf/annrpt/annrpt20152016-eng.pdf “An Investigation of the Correctional Service of Canada’s Mortality Review Process”:http://www.oci-bec.gc.ca/cnt/rpt/pdf/oth-aut/oth-aut20131218-eng.pdf In the Dark: An Investigation of Death in Custody Information Sharing and Disclosure Practices in Federal Corrections - Final Report. August 2, 2016:http://www.oci-bec.gc.ca/cnt/rpt/oth-aut/oth-aut20160802-eng.aspx The College of Family Physicians in Canada – Prison Health Program Committee- resource:http://www.cfpc.ca/Prison_Health_What_s_New/

My son was assaulted by a soldier breaking his neck. He was hit from behind because he didn’t want to get into the car with them. The Army says this is my son’s fault because if he had gotten in the car when he was told to, he wouldn’t have been hit breaking his neck.  After breaking his neck the soldiers picked Corey up and placed him in the back of a compact car between two other soldiers. They had a Sgt and a paramedic meet them in the parking lot of the barracks where the paramedic evaluated my son and did not call an ambulance for him to stabilize him. It took about 3 hours for them to get Corey to the military hospital where they did not have a neurosurgeon.  The Army refuses to transfer him to a WTU they refuse to start a medboard and they refuse to say this is in the line of duty. SOLDIERS did this to my son. SOLDIERS moved my son around and hauled him around in a car for hours with a broken neck. A Paramedic trained by the army looked at my son, documented that he was barely breathing, paralyzed, had low blood pressure and heart rate, and was in and out of consciousness. This paramedic had a responsibility to call an ambulance to stabilize my son’s spinal cord and administer oxygen, fluids, and medication for his heart rate and blood pressure. A paramedic had the responsibility to transfer my son to a hospital with a neurosurgeon on duty to stabilize my son.  Due to the care and treatment he received at the hands of soldiers and a paramedic on post, my son suffered bleeding into the spinal cord as well as having bone fragments impinging on his spinal cord. He went from paraplegic to quadriplegic all while in he hospital.  Now my son is not eligible for any grants for adaptive technology, home and vehicle modifications, transport to and from therapy, durable medical equipment, or home health care. He is not eligible because the Army refuses to take responsibility for their part in my son’s injuries. I cannot sue because of something called the Fares Doctrine.   My son has suffered enough! For the rest of his life he will have to have someone help him with everyday tasks. He cannot even control his own bowel and bladder function. He is 23 years old.  Help me get the benefits my son deserves!!  I have 5 kids and have worked hard to get where I am. I  am a RN who works at the VA hospital in our area and I am going to lose my job. My FMLA is up this month and I will have to return to work. They won’t even let me work part time so I can care for Corey. Without the benefits being withheld we will lose everything! I can’t leave him by himself and he has to go to therapy. I was told last week to apply for Medicaid. I shouldn’t have to. He is coveeed on my insurance and the army has some responsibility for the extent of his injuries. PLEASE help in any way you can!   To read more of our story or to help share or donate to help with modifications we so desperately need for our home please follow this link https://www.youcaring.com/coreyshackelford-1038083 or you can find my story on Facebook @accountabilityforcorey

The City of Billings has a proposed ordinace to regulate Massage Therapy to try to alleviate our city from illicit sex parlors. In the process of doing so the ordinance language ties massage and sex together and defames a respected health care profession in our community. Most of all there are some issues that our city cannot fully answer and because they do not have proper procedure and specific guidelines put in place for law abiding Licensed Massage Therapists to follow, there could very well be a breech of HIPAA. Licensed Massage Therapists are held to the same standard as any other health care profession in following standard HIPAA regulations to secure the privacy of our clients. They propose that at any point in time authorities and officials can come into our office and we need to provide them with all records client and financial related without a warrant and based on little to no merits. They have no ideas or indicate to have any ideas to navigate this issue properly. After 3.5 years of working on this ordinance, if they haven't figured out a solution to this, then they are certainly not ready to file this ordinance into affect. They should not be asking a health care profession/provider to potentially violate a federal law. So the question being... Do you support the idea and the practice of your health care provider to give up your personal records and information to authorities based on minimal to no merits as to why they need them and without your knowledge? Please sign this petition if you think this is a government overstep.  Even if you don't live in Billings Montana or get services here this could be a ordinance coming to your city or communtiy soon. Your input counts as well. We need to hold our government officials accountable to making clear guidelines to navigate new laws and to not implement them if they don't.