NEW: A detention center holding ICE detainees waited more than seven hours to transfer an ailing 37-year-old Mexican man to a hospital, where he died from bleeding in his brain, according to internal documents obtained by BuzzFeed News.
buzzfeednews.com/article/hameda…
buzzfeednews.com/article/hameda…
“In the absence of ICE providing an explanation, a seven-hour delay in responding to this patient does not seem consistent with adequate care,” said Marc Stern, a public health expert and faculty at the University of Washington. “This may have been a preventable death.”
When ICE officials notified the public of this death, they stated that facility staff observed him acting confused and ordered him to the hospital.
I obtained an internal report sent shortly after the death that indicates that they waited more than 7 hours to send him.
I obtained an internal report sent shortly after the death that indicates that they waited more than 7 hours to send him.
The day after I emailed ICE questions on this case, ICE posted a death report online. It confirms the details I uncovered.
“This is a horrible breach of standards of care," said Homer Venters, who was chief medical officer for the NYC jails, of the delay.
“This is a horrible breach of standards of care," said Homer Venters, who was chief medical officer for the NYC jails, of the delay.
The public report posted by ICE has some additional details, including a licensed practical nurse making the initial diagnosis. Experts told me that is beyond the scope of the nurse's license.
“That should be investigated."
“That should be investigated."
Experts said that it was extremely troubling that both reports indicated that ICE did not conduct an alcohol withdrawal screening of the detainee.
He had told ICE officials he drank a six pack a day.
He had told ICE officials he drank a six pack a day.
"These details raise the concern that a very common and potentially fatal health problem was either ignored or inadequately treated in this patient and it raises concerns about the safety and risk of death for other people in ICE custody,” said Homer Venters.
This quote stood out to me:
“On Sept. 7, the sudden change in his condition required evaluation by a qualified medical professional, but instead he was evaluated by a nurse practicing outside the scope of their legal license....
“On Sept. 7, the sudden change in his condition required evaluation by a qualified medical professional, but instead he was evaluated by a nurse practicing outside the scope of their legal license....
...and that failure along with an unexplainable delay of more than six hours [to the hospital] may have resulted in his death,” said Marc Stern, who has previously assisted DHS with investigations into ICE detention centers.
Here is the public report: ice.gov/doclib/foia/re…
