01/22/2016    Michael Rosenblatt, DPM

Former Inmate Sues County for "Poor Medical Care" Resulting in Leg Amputation

A "low-level" drug-convicted inmate has just sued
Santa Clara County due to "lack of and improper
medical care" when he was incarcerated for less
than a month in Milpitas, CA. Arthur Salgado
states that: "he was forced to wear ill-fitting
and unhygienic sandals that gave him a blister."
Sheriff Sgt. James Jenson said however that: "all
sandals (which are rubber and plastic) are washed
with bleach and dried before being dispensed to
inmates." The blister subsequently got badly
infected.

The article states that inmates must wear foot
gear required by the county, which are plastic
sandals, unless they can afford slip-on canvas
shoes, apparently also allowed, but cost the
inmate 10 dollars. The suit alleged that there is
a "considerable" amount of walking on cement
floors during incarceration.

The suit names the nurses and medical doctor who
treated him as plaintiffs, in addition to the
County. One nurse contends he was given
"antibiotic ointment" which was to be applied by
the medical staff, which was (supposed) to be
done two times a day for three days, but was only
done once, as claimed in the suit.

He was admitted to emergency at Valley Medical
Center after 25 days in jail and underwent
several lower level amputations that eventually
resulted in a BK amputation. (Author comment:
There is no indication in the article that the
inmate received any podiatric care either at the
prison or in the hospital, despite the fact that
numerous DPMs practice in that geographic
location.)

Reference: Tracey Kaplan, San Jose Mercury News
[1/19/16]

Michael M. Rosenblatt, DPM, San Jose, CA

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