Medical Brigade: A Draft Proposal
We propose to form a Medical Brigade/Task Force comprised of doctors, interns, nurses, social workers, and other health care professionals, paraprofessionals, and students to establish a nationwide network focused on ensuring prisoners receive proper medical care. The concept is similar to Doctors without Borders except it will concern itself with the interior of the U.S. and the prison population in particular.
Too many of Our comrades, Political Prisoners, are being released after 40-plus years in prison, or in their senior years with all sorts of medical issues. They often live less than a year after having served decades in prison.
In general, the u.s. prison population is aging and developing a large percentage of geriatric prisoners with an assortment of medical issues that the Prison Industrial Complex still refuses to release under compassionate parole. There is also a large segment of prisoners with health issues who have been incarcerated for so long and served their time but cannot be released to a nursing home because of the nature of their conviction. There is also the high rise in medical costs for prisoners and bills for this aging population in general.
The Aims of the Medical Task Force should include, but not be limited to:
- Establish a network of progressive doctors, nurse, social workers, and other health care professionals, paraprofessionals, and students.
- Create a research resource and database that compiles regional reports, classifying them according to types of illnesses (e.g. cancer, dementia, etc.); if there appears to be an environmental connection (e.g., if the facility is built on a landfill; is known for having contaminated water; is surrounded by industrial buildings, factories, etc.)
If you are interested in contributing to the formation of such a network, please fill out the form below: