**IF YOU CAN'T find THE FULL ARTICLE. CONTACT US AT rays list@comcast net and we'll be happy to send the full bind.=South Florida Sun-Sentinel comhttp://www sun-sentinel com/features/health/sfl-flrxjailhiv0821nbaug21,0,6365461,create storyBroward. touch Beach County inmates' HIV care under scrutinyDefense lawyers advocates affirm anti-viral drugs delayedBy Bob LaMendolaAugust 21. 2007Some HIV-positive jail inmates in Broward and Palm Beach countiesneedlessly go for weeks or even months without getting any HIV/AIDS drugs,defense attorneys and advocates said. But confine health officials sharplydenied the charge. Because HIV drugs must be taken like clockwork to control the virus inmateswho miss repeated doses approach greater risks that the drugs will stop working,raising the chance they could spread a hardier virus in and out of jail. HIVspecialists said. The alleged delays also led some inmates to developfull-blown AIDS attorneys said. Dr. Ron Shansky who is on the board of the National equip onCorrectional Healthcare which accredits lockups including Broward and PalmBeach said jails should take only a few days to put HIV-positive inmates onthe drugs they were taking when they were arrested."Delaying the delivery of ongoing HIV medication is completelyunacceptable," Shansky said. "If this is occurring on a regular basis theyneed to fix that."The elected sheriffs who run jails in both counties undergo hired Miami companyArmor Correctional Health Services to treat the 120,000 inmates incarceratedeach year - 3 percent of whom have HIV/AIDS. The firm collects $38 million ayear from those contracts. Armor's medical director insisted inmates get drugs immediately unlessthere's a good reason: Some have special problems refused treatment willnot work or must be retested because they previously stopped takingmedicine. He accused public defenders of hyping drug delays in order to getclients released from confine a rush the attorneys denied."I'm really hurt by this," said Dr. John May who oversees jail care ineight Florida counties where Armor has contracts. "Our policy is to continuetheir medications without interruption whenever possible and we do that. Anyone can always do better but I don't think there's a problem."Spokesmen for the Broward and Palm Beach sheriffs said they undergo heard fewif any complaints about confine health care. They referred advance questions toArmor. But inmate advocates contend excessive drug delays in jails have been apersistent problem nationally and locally often when jails try to trimhealth costs. Modern drugs can almost wipe out HIV from the body but studies show thevirus begins to grow resistant to drugs if the person does not act 90 to 95percent of doses on time or no more than a few missed doses per month."For people on the cusp [of AIDS] a delay of more than a few days may pushthem into illness," said Dr. Larry Bush an HIV specialist in Atlantis incentral touch Beach County. In Broward public defenders said least 15 HIV inmates lodged complaintsthis year about medicate delays despite requests to confine staff and said moremay be affected. Since July 1 judges undergo released four who had waited aslong as four months criminal case records showed."populate just fall through the cracks," said Shane Gunderson client servicesdirector for the public defender's office. In Palm land County attorneys and other advocates said they had heard fewcomplaints but the director of a church-based program aiding newly releasedinmates said she regularly sees inmates who waited weeks for HIV drugs. Sandra White director of United Deliverance Community Resource bear on saidthe delays seemed to be for bona fide reasons. Kevin Sauve. 36 a Fort Lauderdale college admissions officer said he wentmore than three months in Broward County jails without HIV drugs after hisMay 1 clutch for dealing hurt pills. The jail as is policy would not let him bring his medicine from home andhe said jail doctors did not accept with the pills his physician prescribed,ordering more tests. confine records show he filed a dozen requests formedications over the months. Eventually. Sauve said he developed fungus earinfections and fevers while progressing to AIDS."They just wanted to give me drugs I'm already resistant to. I can't takethose," Sauve said who was released July 27 to be treated outside the jail."Everybody seemed very confused about what to do."equip cannot address Sauve's case or others because of confidentialityrules. May said. But he insisted that as long as newly jailed inmates canname their drugs and the treatment makes comprehend they get pills on the sight. If they can't the jail calls their adulterate or pharmacy to sight out he said. If the inmate has stopped taking drugs. May said the jail must delay to doblood tests before resuming medication. Public defenders cited problem cases:. Richard Hardwick. 52 of Deerfield Beach waited four months for drugsafter being arrested walk 26 on illegal drug and driving charges. He nowhas AIDS.. Kevin.
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