Save Our Soldiers
Calling All Comrades
URGENT ACTION REQUIRED - POLITICAL PRISONER
ROBERT "SETH" HAYES BEING DENIED MEDICAL TREATMENT! (10/23/02)
On October 3rd 2002, Robert "Seth" Hayes, a former member of
the Black Panther Party and the Black Liberation Army and a
political prisoner jailed for the past 30 years was moved
against his will from the hospital ward where he had been
receiving treatment for Hepatitis C and type 2 Diabetes to
the general prison population in Clinton Correctional
Facility (CCF) in Dannemora, New York. The transfer on
October 3rd and the consequent elimination of the minimal
level of medical care that Mr. Hayes was previously
receiving has resulted in a dire medical emergency that
could result in a serious deterioration of Seth's medical
condition.
Diabetes and Hepatitis C. are dangerous illnesses, which are
potentially fatal if not properly treated. Diabetes can
lead to a wide range of problems including: heart and blood
vessel disease, skin disorders, kidney disease, nerve
damage, and it may lead to blindness and damage to
extremities if it is not properly treated. Hepatitis C is a
blood-borne virus who's symptoms include jaundice, fatigue,
abdominal pain and nausea, and which causes liver disease in
20% of its victims and eventually kills 5% of those
infected. Mr. Hayes has long been affected by symptoms of
dizziness and weakness, headaches caused by pressure
building up behind his eyes, loss of feeling in his
extremities, and low energy, but at least he was receiving
some degree of medical monitoring while in the hospital
ward.
However, now that he has been returned to the general prison
population, Mr. Hayes no longer receives any monitoring of
his blood sugar levels, and John Mitchell, the CCF
administrator responsible for hospital facilities, has
refused to allow Seth or any of the 40-50 other diabetics in
the prison to purchase personal blood sugar testing units
from their own funds. This means that all diabetics in the
prison are injected with a pre-arranged amount of insulin
regardless of how much blood sugar they currently have in
their bodies. Seth has also been trying to gain "disabled
status" through the American Disabilities Act due to the
debilitating effects that his diabetes has on him. Such
status would result in Seth being able to legally refuse to
work in conditions that negatively affect his health, but to
date; the prison administration has refused to accept Seth's
requests.
Furthermore, Seth is part way through a six to twelve month
drug treatment to address the damage done to his liver by
Hep C. Despite the fact that he has been prescribed regular
doses of the drugs Pegetron and Rebetron (which have
numerous serious side effects including driving up blood
sugar and blood pressure) the prison administration has cut
off all monitoring of his medical status, claiming that it
is no longer needed.
The US Supreme Court has previously ruled that since
prisoners are wards of the state, they are entitled to a
minimum of medical care, at least on par with the minimum
available to those outside of the prison system. It is an
outrage that despite repeated pressure from the prisoners at
Clinton Correction Facility, the prison administration has
done nothing to provide them with the bare minimum of
medical treatment required. Technically speaking, this
deliberate indifference and refusal of medical monitoring
for prisoners such as Seth is nothing less than a death
sentence with an indeterminate execution date, mandated and
carried out by the prison administration.
We call upon you to phone, fax and write letters to John
Mitchell, the administrative nurse responsible for
transferring Seth out of the hospital and to Lester Wright,
the Chief Medical officer of the New York Department of
Correctional Services who is responsible for all health
matters in the State of New York to demand the following:
1. That Mr. Hayes be immediately re-admitted to the
hospital ward and that he be provided with twice daily
monitoring of his blood sugar levels and full monitoring and
all necessary treatment for his Hepatitis C;
2. That all diabetics at CCF be entitled to receive twice
daily blood sugar tests upon request, and that all diabetics
in the prison be authorized to purchase their own personal
blood sugar monitoring units.
3. That Mr. Hayes be recognized as disabled due to the
effects of diabetes according to the provisions of the
American Disabilities Act. [Please note: when speaking to
prison officials please refer to Seth as Robert "Seth"
Hayes, prison ID number 79A2280. Claiming to be defending
Seth's rights to confidentiality, the prison officials will
refuse to talk about any specifics of Seth's case with you
unless you are a family member, and they will not explain to
you why they are refusing Seth treatment. Therefore, when
you call, it is best for you to tell them that you are aware
of their appalling disregard for the medical rights of Seth
and other prisoners and to re-iterate the demands listed
above without asking questions requiring them to answer any
questions about Seth's or any other prisoner's condition.
If you have any questions about this or any other matters,
please get in touch with the Robert Seth Hayes Emergency
Medical Committee at:
or at the address below.
The two prison officials to contact are:
Dr. Lester Wright,
Chief Medical Officer, Department of Correction Services,
Albany, NY, 12226, USA. Phone: 518-457-7072
John Mitchell, Nurse Administrator
Clinton Correctional Facility
Box 2000
Dannemora, NY. 12929, USA.
Phone (518) 492-2511 x6100.
[Note: if Mr. Mitchell is rude or unprofessional to you when
you call him, please lodge a complaint with Superintendent
Daniel Senkowski at (518) 492-2511 x2000].
Remind these officials of the New York State Department of
Correctional Services mission statement which states that
they are to retain inmates in safe custody until released by
law and to offer stable and humane "community" environments.
Denying Seth medical treatment goes directly against this
mission statement that these officers are sworn to uphold.
Please get in touch with the Seth Hayes Emergency Medical
Committee at the address below to let us know if there are
any other ways in which you can help us out, or to inform us
that you have called or written the prison authorities.
Your timely action can make a very real difference in
helping to preserve the health and even save the life of a
long time freedom fighter and political prisoner unfairly
jailed for more than 30 years. Act Now!
To get in touch with Robert "Seth" Hayes, please write to
him at:
Robert "Seth" Hayes #74A-2280
Clinton Correctional Facility
Box 2001, Dannemora, New York
12929, USA.
To contact members of the Robert "Seth" Hayes Emergency
Medical Committee, please call 514-848-7585,
Email:
rshemc02@yahoo.ca
or write:
Robert "Seth" Hayes Emergency Medical Committee,
c/o Quebec Public Interest Research Group
2130 Mackay, Montreal, QC, H3G-2J1
Canada
To hear a September 23rd 2002 interview with Seth please
check out:
www.radio4all.net/proginfo.php?id=5410
The Robert Seth Hayes Emergency Medical has sent out this
text
Committee in consultation with and under the direction of
Robert Seth Hayes. October 23rd, 2002.
