“The department keeps saying they’re just about to turn things around, the improvements are just around the corner,” says Veronica Vale, a supervising attorney at the Legal Aid Society. “But the numbers are getting worse.'
The city has until June 17th to demonstrate compliance or face a $100 fine for each missed medical appointment from December and January – amounting to roughly $200,000 in payments to those affected, on top of attorneys fees and costs.
“The department keeps saying they’re just about to turn things around, the improvements are just around the corner,” Vela said. “But the numbers are getting worse. It seems to me that at the very least there’s a lack of urgency.” “We are committed to ensuring that everyone in our custody has access to quality medical care,” the spokesperson, Jason Kersten, wrote in an email. “Non-production of clinic appointments varies from month to month, depending in large part on individuals in custody who have the right to refuse treatment and appointments.”
By contrast, when the department is unable to escort a detainee to a scheduled medical visit, the missed appointment is filed in an “other” category that includes a variety of explanations, such as a conflict with religious worship or a work assignment. In December, when the Legal Aid Society asked the court for a more specific breakdown, the city acknowledged that 1,061 of the 1,231 missed appointments marked “other” were due to the lack of escort.
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