Allegheny County Doctor Files Complaint against Corizon over Hiring Practices

by David Reutter

Corizon, a private for-profit company, is facing a complaint filed with Pennsylvania’s Human Relations Commission that claims a bias against women, immigrants, and doctors who complain against frugal prisoner health care was the basis for the company’s failure to hire Dr. Lucille Aiken.

The complaint was filed after Dr. Aiken learned Corizon decided to not retain her services when it took over healthcare for prisoners at the Allegheny County Jail (ACJ) on September 1, 2013.

Dr. Aiken has been working at ACJ since 2002. Her motivation for leaving private practice for prisoner healthcare was to bring her “compassionate approach to people who probably never had that.”

At first, the change was shocking. “I felt like I was working at a clinic in Africa,” said Dr. Aiken, whose husband is African-American. She said she was often “bashed” in staff meetings, and underwent depositions in prisoner lawsuits that resulted in her criticizing poor treatment.

Prior to Corizon, ACJ prisoners received health care from Allegheny Health, a non-profit entity created by the county Health Department. Its Chief Operations Officer, Dana Phillips, and Dr. Aiken regularly clashed.

“Sending people out [to hospitals] was always discouraged by Dana Phillips,” said Dr. Aiken. “I was the only one to write [prescriptions for] a lot of the tests.” Her supervisors would complain “because I spend more money.”

Her popularity was more diminished following her testimony against Arii Metz, who severely beat a prisoner. In that case, Dr. Aiken ordered that prisoner David Kipp be immediately sent to a hospital. Kipp had severe facial swelling and it turned out he had a broken nose and ruptured eardrum. That order was countermanded, and it took her two days to finally have Kipp sent out for medical treatment. Metz was convicted in federal court for violating Kipp’s civil rights.

Dr. Aiken applied with Corizon after ACJ’s administration notified employees on July 9 of the coming change. Initially, she was told by Corizon executives that they would keep well-qualified, experienced ACJ employees. After those executives spoke to ACJ administrators, Dr. Aiken was informed she would not be retained, for it could not provide her hours.

Corizon is lowering ACJ health care staff to treat over 2,500 prisoners. It had four full-time doctors, and Corizon will have one full-time and one part-time doctor. It plans to fill the void with more physician’s assistants, nurse practitioners and nurses. Dr. Aiken said she plans to file a lawsuit when her current complaint is resolved.

Source: www.post-gazette.com

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