Yes, we do. What we do before we relay them to the medical services, we may go in and see the patients, the inmate, and see if he's been seen by medical. If he hasn't been seen by medical, we make calls to the social worker, we make calls to the doctor, the nurse or whoever --
Many times, they're saying they'll get around to it, and some are seen. But as was just stated, the medication -- I have a couple more cases, but I won't read them because 166 1/25/01 PUBLIC SAFETY - RES. 692 of the time.
Just submit them. If you have cases in which you have relayed them and no action has been taken, you know, just submit them to us, to me here and so on so that we can then ask the questions that are necessary and follow up on those things.
Mr. Ortiz, I'd like to say in closing that the system -- I want to thank you and Council for putting these hearings because it's time that something is done. And I'm not saying that they're not doing anything, but the way it's being done is just not adequate. And as I've stated earlier, I worked with Mr. Graham for about a year in doing legal aid work from here to the State. And if Mr. Graham says -- his stuff is accurate, I've worked with him, and I really believe he has the right data to tell of what's happened here.
And as you visit the prison and you check up on the aspects that you have relayed, and what has been your experience? Have the clients or patients that you have informed the system about, have they been seen, or delays have happened? What has been the experience?
Delays have happened, Councilman. And the reason for the delays are various reasons, okay, from the medication system, the medication, or the clients that we deal with are trying to get outside treatment because they can't treat them inside. So when Hahnemann was there and now they've changed over --
No, it isn't. But they're denied to go out to see an outside doctor at times.
Well, I'd like for you to give me, you know, some specifics on that.
Okay? If you relay that to me directly, I will pass that on to my 168 1/25/01 PUBLIC SAFETY - RES. 692 colleagues in City Council.
Okay. Anyone else? Yes, ma'am, come forward. (Witness comes forward.)
I'll be very brief. I'm a volunteer with the American Civil Liberties Union.
My name is Carol Karash. I'm a volunteer with the American Civil Liberties Union in Philadelphia. And I frequently read prisoner mail, and I'm very upset by a very recent piece of mail that I read from someone who was at the Philadelphia Detention Center. In addition to being filthy and mice, the man was handicapped, he was an amputee. The elevators were not working, the center was not accessible for handicapped people, there were other handicapped people there. He fell down about two times; he received such severe injuries in the last fall that he was hospitalized. And at that point, he wrote. I think he was afraid of retaliation if he had written directly. 169 1/25/01 PUBLIC SAFETY - RES. 692 He thought he was going to be transferred to a one-level facility. I heard, I think it was two days ago, that another volunteer got a phone call. There was no room at a one-level facility. He was then transferred back to the Detention Center. It was not handicapped- accessible. And not only that, but they had misplaced his prosthesis. So I think that this is really a big problem, and there shouldn't be any prisoners who are handicapped in such a facility. And if there's if overcrowding, then they just have to build more space because I think the bed was not ready in the one-level facility.
If you can have your office contact my office about that, I'd like to --
I understand that, but just ask your office if they can submit that to us. Okay, thank you very much. This committee will stand in recess to the call of the Chair. Thank you very much, all 170 1/25/01 PUBLIC SAFETY - RES. 692 of you, for your cooperation and your patience today. I really appreciate it. (Adjourned at 6:06 p.m.) - - - 171 C E R T I F I C A T E I HEREBY CERTIFY that the foregoing proceedings of the Council of the City of Philadelphia of Thursday, January 25, 2001, were reported fully and accurately by me, and that this is a correct transcript of same. RE: JOINT COUNCIL COMMITTEES ON HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, PUBLIC SAFETY RESOLUTION NO. 000692 __________________________________, JOSEPHINE CARDILLO, Registered Professional Reporter