Dialysis for inmates now offered in-house

[okarol]

Dialysis for inmates now offered in-house

Updated: March 20, 2009 02:21 PM

Indianapolis - Taxpayers will no longer have to pay thousands of dollars for jail inmates to go to the hospital for dialysis treatment.

Marion County Sheriff Frank Anderson says the county now has a new contract with a company to do treatments inside the City-County Building. For years, it took two deputies per inmate to transport them to dialysis centers. Now the inmates requiring dialysis get treatment a lot sooner and it cuts costs for taxpayers

"This is more convenience and you save on your travel time. They just walk us across the street. It beats driving all the way to an outside clinic," said Jasper Basir, inmate dialysis patient.

"The cost of using those deputies over a year runs us about $41,000 and that cost goes away with the in-house treatment," said Louis Dezelan, Dir. Of Administration.

Sheriff Anderson also plans to offer the secured treatment services to nearby law enforcement agencies with dialysis patients.

http://www.wthr.com/Global/story.asp?S=10044586

[Stacy Without An E]

When I was on Dialysis in the mid-90's at the county hospital in Stockton (drive AROUND the town as much as possible when traveling) they had an inmate that came in and was being escorted in wrist and ankle cuffs to his little booth in the back.

As the was passing one day, I apparently started at him a little too long and he tried to spit on me.  The officer showed off the class most Stocktonians have by just laughing at the situation.

I don't know, maybe its just me because I have no respect for criminals, but shouldn't they have the minimum care possible?  Like maybe twice a week treatment instead of three or four?

Sure would keep them out of trouble in the jail.