Patients as well as inmates have the right to be provided with appropriate standards of care. Failure to do so can result in medical negligence claims filed in Colorado and throughout the country. A number of inmates may have been taking medication before receiving their prison sentences. However, sometimes inmates are denied the use of these medications and one recent case is no exception. A transgender inmate filed a claim seeking to continue with her hormone treatment.
The inmate has been using hormones since 1999 until the treatment came to a stop in 2012. Reportedly, the discontinued use of the hormone has caused the inmate to face medical issues including depression and irritability. The inmate also experienced the loss of breast tissue and coarser skin. According to a prison psychiatrist, the inmate does not meet the requirements of having gender identity disorder and therefore, the use of hormones should not continue.
However, the inmate still continued to receive hormone treatments previously while in federal prison. The lawsuit states that without the hormones, her physical and mental well-being is hampered and her life could be in danger. As of last month, a judge ordered the state to temporarily provide the hormones.
When a person is under medication therapy, including hormone therapy, it may be vital for the person to continue. Stopping abruptly can possibly cause medical complications and have detrimental effects on someone’s physical and mental well-being. Colorado inmates who suffered injury due to being denied medications may have the right to file medical negligence claims against the prison/jail facility as appropriate remedies to financial relief.
Source: katv.com, “Judge hears Ohio transgender inmate’s hormone case”, , May 1, 2014
