Tuesday, April 16, 1974
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Prisoners Lack Medical Attention
By TOM BILLAM
Kenyan Staff Represent
Lawrence Doctors Won't Make Jail Calls
Doctors won't make calls to Lawrence Jalcs, according to Dr. Forrest Swan, licenced in 2017 to serve the county.
"My understanding is that none of the medical people will come to the jail, that if a jail inmate is going to get medical service they must take him to the hospital," Swail said Friday.
Swail was the chairman of the Douglas County Committee on Correctional Services and Jail Facilities, which submitted a report and recommendations on correctional services to the Douglas County Commission July 10, 1973.
"NOWADAYS THE DOCTORS don't like to down. In an emergency they will down."
Lawrence Police Chief Richard Stanwix agreed with Swall's opinion.
There are no facilities for medical service or care in Lawrence jails, according to SCORE.
Swall and the committee recommended to the county commission that medical examinations take place prior to locking prisoners up.
The committee report stated:
"Provisions must be made for an initial medical examination immediately upon entry into the correctional facility."
SWALL SAID, "When you realize that the
A special legislative committee has been appointed to study the desirability and feasibility of having wage-rate differences within the state for classified employees.
Med Center Employes' Wages to Be Studied
State Rep. Wendell Lady, R-Overland Park, and a member of the House Ways and Means Committee, is chairman of the Special Congressional Interim Ways and Means Committee that will conduct the study.
Although the Kansas Legislature has adjourned for the summer, they haven't forgotten the subject of wages for classified students and University of Kansas Medical Center.
"There is a concern on the part of some members of the legislature, especially in the case of the Medical Center, that it is being used by other hospitals for people," he said.
According to Lady, there is no procedure for making a salary differential based on the cost of living. All state employees who work in similar jobs get the same salary, even though it is more expensive to live and work in some towns than in others.
Lady said his committee would study the wage-rate differential issues and would recommend whether to make provisions for higher wages in towns that have a high cost of living.
"The interim committee can make recommendations only," he said. "The committee should approve."
The deadline for the committee's report, be said, is Nov. 1.
Russell Miller, dean for the Medical Center administration, said he was "very pleased" with the progress of the program.
Miller said the Medical Center didn't have a specific center. Someone at the Center personnel had not met all various state officers, including Gov. Robert H. Docking, on the subject of em-
"The main areas we have been concerned about have been the issue of minimum wages, shift differential for the less educated, and the urban-rural differential." he said.
Miller explained that civilian firms often pay employees extra money for working late or not on time.
working and living in a town that has a higher cost of living than other towns in the city.
Howard Feldman, assistant vice chancellor for finance at the Medical Center, said he supported the idea of a wage-rate differential because it was difficult to compete with industry and other local sources of employment.
Bolt Tillen, assistant to the personnel director, said the Medical Center was conducting salary and cost of living surveys in the Kansas City area.
"The surveys are primarily among people that we compete with," he said.
Miller said that the wage differential problem applied to all the Medical Center classified employees and wasn't limited to any particular job.
For example, he said, the classifications of messenger and elevator operator have a similar structure.
"We share the concern for inadequate wages," he said.
people who are locked up in the county jails are from the highest health risk group in our society, you can see the need to make an effort to identify the health problems.
University Daily Kansan
"There is a serious lack of awareness of the danger of these people to the rest of us."
A deputy may ask a prisoner whether he is sick or has a disease when he comes into the facility, but no trained personnel are present. Swall said.
Wall contended that a prisoner can go into jail unknownly having a disease, infect other inmates, who are later released to infect other members of the community.
"If a person comes in, he's not inspected at that time. Then if he complains or is sick, immediately he gets medical attention," Stanwix said.
Stanwix said his department was working with the hospital to initial medical examinations of patients.
Most often sick inmates are taken to the Lawrence Memorial Hospital emergency
ELERY PHILLIPS, Douglas County Director of Corrections, said he also thought a medical screening procedure was advisable.
"The most immediate plans involve a screening process primarily where we hope that para-professionals will be able to deliver medical screening, meaning that any contagious disease would be spotted," Philips said yesterday.
Philips said he was trying to locate funds for a pilot program with paraprofessionals.
Douglas County commissioners declined to comment on present medical care in the jails. However they said there would be some medical facilities in the new Douglas County Correction Center, which is now in the planning stages.
Phillips said, "By the time that building is put together we hope to have even a more extensive medical program, other than just screening."
SWALL SAID, "The design of the new jail calls for a clinic area. If they can get
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medical personnel to come in they would be somewhat equipped to make examination and documentation.
Swall's committee recommended that medical considerations for the Lawrence jails be handled through the County Health Department.
Swall said the commissioners were willing to use his recommendations for planning new facilities but lacked the funds to try to implement some of them now.
ADMIN STRIVATOR for the health department, Kay Kent, said yesterday that the department didn't have anything to do with the jails.
She said sometimes an inmate was brought to their department if it was too late.
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