At this moment, the DOC is in the process of finalizing their evaluation of bidders. There is still time to amend and negotiate the contract language to maximize protection of incarcerated people – we must urge Governor Healey and DOC Commissioner Carol Mici to do this now.
Below, you will find instructions and an email template to send. You may also click this link to see a view-only version.
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Email Commissioner Carol Mici: Carol.Mici@doc.state.ma.us
Email Gov. Maura Healey: https://www.mass.gov/info-details/email-the-governors-office (if using this option, copy/paste full URLs for each resource into the email. See links at bottom of page.)
Email Kate Cook (Chief of Staff): kate.r.cook@mass.gov
SUBJECT: END MEDICAL NEGLECT IN MA PRISONS
<Governor Healey/Commissioner Mici>,
My name is <name> and <I am a resident of <city>/a concerned community member> writing today to call for an end to medical neglect in Massachusetts prisons. In the coming month, decisions will be made that affect the next several years of medical care for some of Massachusetts’ most vulnerable residents.
The U.S. Constitution requires prison officials to provide adequate medical care to all persons incarcerated in state and federal prisons, as well as pretrial detainees [Estelle v. Gamble, 429 U.S. 97 (1976)]. Despite this, people incarcerated in Massachusetts state prisons and jails continue to be neglected.
I call on you to take into consideration all of the resources provided and use your power to amend and negotiate the contract to ensure that medical neglect cannot continue.
Please refer to these materials for more information during this important decision-making process:
Petition/Demands
Letter from Senators Markey and Warren
Report
DeeperThanWater’s requested RFR language
Albany Medical College’s Community Grand Rounds on the prison healthcare system
Stories of medical neglect in MA prisons
Thank you,
<name>
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Full URLs for the governor’s email form:
Petition/Demands (https://www.change.org/p/end-medical-neglect-in-massachusetts-prisons-demand-changes-in-the-massachusetts-department-of-corrections-new-medical-contract
Letter from Senators Markey and Warren (https://drive.google.com/file/d/1I95jn6hoRd-lGf9qmv0HHM6EVuFJQ01O/view
Report (https://drive.google.com/file/d/1nOVuK0FIH0p50ssM33l7VE1b0Is9oH7x/view
DeeperThanWater’s requested RFR language (https://docs.google.com/document/d/1JJa-g23LQPKvjg5dpkRo81dii3MyYvFBq-kXttzC9oQ/edit
Albany Medical College’s Community Grand Rounds on the prison healthcare system (https://albanymed.webex.com/recordingservice/sites/albanymed/recording/8ed237d4af21103b8e3e00505681abf9/playback
Stories of medical neglect in MA prisons (https://deeperthanwater.org/2022/04/27/medical-neglect-stories-from-inside-a-compilation/
