The Medical Policies of the Dearborn County Law Enforcement Center Can Be Deadly

The medical policies under Sheriff Mike Kreinhop and Captain Dave Hall could have deadly ramifications for inmates who are regularly under the care of doctors and medical specialists. 210 IAC 3-1-11(k) of the Indiana Administrative Code states “Jail officials shall use their best efforts to obtain any medication prescribed by a physician. All medications shall be administered in the dosage and with the frequency prescribed. No substitutions of medications shall be made without the prescribing physician’s approval.” One would assume that the prescribing physician refers to the physician that prescribed medication to a person prior to their incarceration in the DCLEC. Not so, says Captain Dave Hall.

Prior to my arrest on March 7, 2011, I sought treatment for ADHD at the Affinity Center in Cincinnati, Ohio. The Affinity Center specializes in diagnosing and treating children and adults who have ADD/ADHD. M y doctor, Dr. Doug Logan MD, prescribed 50mgs of Ritalin, which I took 3-4 times a day. Initially the DCLEC refused to allow me to take my medication. When I raised the constitutional issue of depriving me of my mental health at trial, Captain Hall recognized my Ritalin prescription that was prescribed by Dr. Logan and stated that I would be allowed to take my prescriptions. I soon discovered there was a hitch; I was not permitted to take the Ritalin as prescribed by my physician. The medical staff changed my prescription and only allowed me to take 30 mgs, 2 times a day, without even consulting with Dr. Logan, my prescribing physician. How can DCLEC officials get away with altering my medication without consulting with my prescribing physician per 201 IAC 3-1-11(k)? Easy, they just changed my prescribing physician without my knowledge.

Last week I submitted an Inmate Request Form requesting the name of the doctor that prescribes my Ritalin. The Ritalin bottle that was filled by CVS Pharmacy read, “Dr. Doug Logan.” The pharmacist that listed Dr. Logan as the prescribing physician did so because Dr. Logan wrote the prescription. Captain Dave Hall acknowledged Dr. Logan’s prescription because Captain Hall stated I was allowed to take the prescription. Following Captain Hall’s approval, the DCLEC dismissed Dr. Logan as my prescribing doctor and now claims that my prescribing doctors are Dr. Nadir Al-Shami and two other doctors who I’ve never met. Captain Hall and the DCLEC dismissed my specialist and replaced my prescribing doctor with three doctors who have never written a prescription for Ritalin for me. Captain Hall and the DCLEC medical staff arbitrarily changed my prescribing physician just so they could deprive me of my medication. Am I going to die because of it? No. I will be at a disadvantage during trial without having the ability to focus and concentrate as well as before my arrest. The DCLEC’s medical policies can jeopardize the lives of inmates with serious health conditions as Captain Hall and Sheriff Kreinhop allow the medical staff to disregard the prescription orders from the inmates regular physician by naming doctors who are contracting for the DCLEC as the inmate’s new prescribing physician.

If you have heart problems, you go to a physician who specializes in treating heart problems. When someone develops kidney problems they see a kidney specialist. A person who is diagnosed with cancer doesn’t go to his/her family practitioner for treatment; the person goes to an oncologist. When someone is arrested in Dearborn County, Indiana, medical contractors for the DCLEC become the inmate’s treating specialist. You think I’m exaggerating? One inmate, who has trusted me with his medical and contact information, receives disability because of a serious liver condition. Prior to his arrest in Dearborn County, his liver specialist and family doctor prescribed multiple medications based on extensive examinations and blood work. Upon his arrival at the DCLEC, medical contractor Dr. Nadir Al-Shami arbitrarily decided that the man did not need all of the medications prescribed by his liver specialist and family doctor. The man filed numerous requests and grievances requesting his normal prescriptions, but to no avail. It was only after the man wrote his liver specialist and after the specialist contacted the DCLEC, did the DCLEC give the man his required medications per the orders of the prescribing specialist. Unfortunately, the only way that the DCLEC will recognize a prescribing physician outside of the DCLEC is when the prescribing physician contacts the DCLEC to explain that without the proper medication, the inmate may die.

Most people would probably find the policies of the DCLEC to be despicable and inhumane. No one knows what kind of damage the man with the liver problems may have sustained while the DCLEC refused his necessary treatment. DCLEC officials are not concerned with the man’s health they are only concerned with the liability of an untreated inmate dying in their jail. The officials responsible for implementing the policies are Sheriff Mike Kreinhop and Captain Dave Hall. They simply sit back and wash their hands clean by saying, “it’s up to the jail doctor.” It will take the death of an inmate to call attention to this atrocity. The sad state of the DCLEC’s medical policies is just another example of the corruption and incompetence that plagues the Dearborn County government.