Dear Governor Jan Brewer,
I am writing to bring your attention to a possibly lethal failure of the duty of care the Arizona Department of Corrections has towards my husband, Anant Kumar Tripati (#102081) in Tucson, Santa Rita Unit. My husband is convicted of a non-violent crime and has recently been in poor health, having suffered a heart attack in December last year.
His health problems have recently been exacerbated by the actions of prison staff, who are interfering with him obtaining the diet and treatment he needs and are effectively endangering his life. We have repeatedly complained about this to the AZDOC who have not acted, and therefore we are asking you to intervene.
Prison officials have destroyed his original medical records, making it extremely difficult for him to receive the correct diagnosis and treatment. Corrections officer Gene Greeley (who has no medical training and therefore is not a physician) has overturned medical orders from Dr K. S. Lewis, Dr Robert White, Lisa Edmonds, and FNP Bosselers.
As a result my husband is loosing about 10 pounds a week in weight, and as a trained nurse I am aware that this rapid decline in weight is very serious, particularly in someone who has recently suffered acute health problems. One of the medical orders concerned the requirement for my husband to have a specific diet because of heath concerns after his heart attack, and his religious beliefs. I should say that my husband was a fairly slim man to begin with. If his weight continues to decline at his current rate he is likely to suffer serious problems and even death.
As a health care professional I am deeply disturbed that AZDOC staff with no medical training would intervene to override medical orders from doctors regarding the treatment of a patient who they know to have recently suffered a heart attack, and then stand by as his health visibly deteriorated.
I am also putting you on notice that it is very likely that the actions of Gene Greeley (overriding orders written by physicians) may cause my husband to suffer serious medical injury. Serious medical complications including death may result if ADOC refuses to follow Doctors orders. Dr. Robert A. White, who is treating attending physician, has refused to change the orders the doctors issued on May 28th, 2009 and February 9th, 2009. However, Gene Greeley who is not a doctor, has ordered Dr. Robert A. White’s orders not be followed, thereby causing my husband’s decline in health as described in this letter. As a physician, Dr. Robert A. White has acted appropriately but Gene Greeley, a non-physician has impeded the implementation of doctor’s orders. Therefore I ask again that you intervene to stop this apparently vindictive treatment by prison staff. Director Charles Ryan has refused to act despite grievances being filed, thereby aggravating the situation.
In the event of my husband’s death or serious medical injury due to Gene Greeley overturning the physician-issued medical orders, we shall hold Mr. Gene Greeley, Mr. Charles Ryan and other parties personally accountable.
Finally, if prison staff take any adverse action against my husband’s insistence that physicians’ orders be followed, or if they segregate him in a retaliatory measures; they shall also be held personally accountable. For the record; my husband is not on a hunger strike but is simply attempting to comply with the medical instructions of his physicians due to his heart problems, while also fulfilling the tenets of his Hindu faith. I request that this issue be investigated and that appropriate action be taken (see attached PDF TripatiMedicalIssues.pdf ).
It is our belief that it is the intent of the State of Arizona to cause the death or serious medical injury of my husband so as to stop my husband from exposing corruption in Arizona and pursuing the petition to have the US Justice Department investigate Arizona (www.thepetitionsite.com/1/anant-tripati ).
Respectfully,
Krish Tripati