We are still investigating 107 5/8/02 PUB. HEALTH/PUB. SAFETY RES. 010598 that death.
Those are two separate issues. We were talking about the medical intake screen, which included questions on suicide prevention, and the suicide prevention policy is a separate policy that includes the medical intake screen.
At D.C. -- and I find this -- and I'd like you to tell me how this was done, just explain that to me, because when I read it before, I said this is... At D.C., Dr. Greifinger had found that 40 percent of the (indiscernible) entries were undocumented and went back the next day and they were all filled in. How was it done?
Based on the briefing we had with Dr. Greifinger, that incident is still under investigation.
He said there are 108 5/8/02 PUB. HEALTH/PUB. SAFETY RES. 010598 problems of management and supervision in that unit, and that medication was documented greater than 95 percent at CFCF; is that true? That's what he says.
Well, he just goes on, you know, on the same issue here, that medication was greater there than 90 percent of CFCF. (No immediate verbal response.)
You haven't read the report? You guys don't read the report; is that it?
I'm not sure that you're reading the entire sentence. It's talking about medication documentation?
It says medication is documented greater than 95 percent at CFCF.
That's probably true. That suggests that greater than 95 percent of the doses ordered were given and documented as having 109 5/8/02 PUB. HEALTH/PUB. SAFETY RES. 010598 been given.
He says you're revising the red-flag policy. What does that mean?
Dr. Patterson and Dr. Greifinger have been working with all of us to come up with a better red-flag system. And during his last visit, Dr. Patterson actually recommended new wording for the red-flag policy. And if you will give me a minute -- well, actually what it says, it revises it from three consecutive misdosages of medications to wording such that three missed dosages the same time of day, and they would be reported to the shift commander as well as the nurse, written down; and on the next day, those folks would be taken to the behavioral -- or put on the behavioral-health caseload, and they are prioritized to be seen that same day, if possible. And that was in an attempt to -- red flag is basically dealing with medication noncompliance. I think you've even heard someone 110 5/8/02 PUB. HEALTH/PUB. SAFETY RES. 010598 talk -- several people talk about the necessity of medications being given in a timely manner, and we agree with that. But given the numbers that we have, we have now established a system of tracking that and, as much as possible, getting them seen as soon as possible after that is --
Dr. Greifinger says that there has been no significant progress in the focused study to analyze barriers to improve documentation of delivery of medication. This is due to insufficient PHS administrative resources. He says that this repeat recommendation -- and it seems that these recommendations are repeated and they're not fixed. I mean, it seems like there's a lack -- again, a lack of compliance here with the contract. These things are not happening. And, obviously, you're not taken to task because you don't pay no penalties for this lack of compliance.
I think we are taken to task because we have regular meetings with Mr. Tim Gill in his office, and we are -- 111 5/8/02 PUB. HEALTH/PUB. SAFETY RES. 010598
But, obviously, these -- these recommendations and these problems are ongoing from the beginning of this contract, and obviously, they haven't been resolved.
Many, many of those issues have been -- are improved and some of them have been resolved. And, yes, there are still problems. We are not perfect and we are taken to task. The other part of your question, I think I'm not in a position to answer that part.
I would second what Dr. Newkirk says in that we do take it very seriously what Mr. Gill says. We have filled, I would say, at least 10 to 15 positions that aren't even required by the contract to better serve our patients. An example of that would be a recruiter. That is what is necessary here because of the inordinate amount of turnover.
I think the rest of the questions I have, you'll give me the fifth- amendment answer to. So, therefore, I want to thank you for coming from Tennessee. It took Commissioner Costello two hearings to come from Northeast 112 5/8/02 PUB. HEALTH/PUB. SAFETY RES. 010598 Philadelphia. And I want to thank you because I really don't blame PHS that much. If you got a contract, it is up to us to make you fulfill it. If we're negligent in you not fulfilling it, that means that the City administration is not doing its job. I know that Dr. Greifinger has said that you've been cooperative, and I imagine that you have been, but I do imagine that something is going on that is not -- or is preventing the full medical services to be provided to these inmates, and too many people really are dying in our jails. So I want to thank you once again. This committee stands in recess until June 5th, at 2:00 p.m. (Proceedings end at 3:41 p.m.) - - - 113 CERTIFICATE I HEREBY CERTIFY that the foregoing proceedings of the Council of the City of Philadelphia's meeting of the Committee on Public Safety and Health and Human Services of Wednesday, May 8, 2002, are contained fully and accurately in the stenographic notes taken by me, and that this is a true and correct transcript of same. RE: Resolution No. 010528 ____________________, Josephine Cardillo Registered Professional Reporter and Notary Public (The foregoing certification of this transcript does not apply to any reproduction of the same by any means, unless under the direct control and/or supervision of the certifying reporter.)