An explosive new legal filing asserts that medical care at the new Sullivan County Jail on Old Route 17 has "systematic deficiencies."
That's according to one of a series of legal documents filed yesterday (Monday) with State Supreme Court/Sullivan County by Dr. Homer Venters on behalf of the New York Civil Liberties Union, which filed a habeas corpus petition on May 29 seeking the release of the most medically vulnerable inmates.
"Even after moving everyone to the new jail, the Sheriff’s Office has not taken any additional steps to protect the medically vulnerable population or fix the systemic
deficiencies in its medical care that are endangering the health and lives of medically vulnerable people," Venters wrote in his affirmation.
He and senior staff attorney Philip Desgranges spent four and half hours at the jail on Friday, according to their documents.
This afternoon (Tuesday) the NYCLU case is back on the calendar of State Supreme Court Justice Stephan Schick.
An affirmation filed by Desgranges yesterday also calls into question the responses he received in sworn testimony from Jail Administrator Hal Smith.
In a letter dated June 11 to Judge Schick, County Attorney Michael McGuire, who is defending the Sheriff's Office, wrote:
"Clearly, Mr. Desgranges wishes to become engaged in a fishing expedition which this Court has no basis."
Below is the full affirmation from Dr. Homer Venters.
Meanwhile, inmate James Konidis - who has been interviewed by The SullivanTimes on two occasions from the jail in recent weeks - was taken to Catskill Regional Medical Center on Monday. According to his mother, Kathy Stark, the hospital said he has hypertension and has "post-covid bronchitis" and gave him no medication. Stark said that she spoke with her son Monday evening.
On Tuesday (June 16), Stark told The SullivanTimes in a message:
"This morning the nurse took his BP and it was 140/90." She said the nurse told Konidis that it appears that has high blood pressure and is putting him on a low sodium diet.
Aside from the NYCLU case, a new habeas petition was filed yesterday with the State Supreme Court, this time regarding an inmate at Woodbourne Correctional Facility.
(This is a developing story)