Thank you to everyone who called! Romano is being actively treated by an outside physician now. Thanks for all your help. -DTW
From time to time, we get requests from folks inside that a particular prisoner has been the victim of medical neglect. Such is the case with Romano Newball. Here is the text posted this morning via Facebook
We received word last night about Romano Newball, a 77-year-old at MCI-Norfolk with a terrible flesh-eating rash all over his body. The prison medical has given him an anti-fungal cream but it is not helping at all. The prison is refusing to let him see an outside doctor to diagnose and treat him. Romano is in a great deal of pain and needs proper medical care.
We know from past experience that your calls are effective and necessary. Please call MCI-Norfolk today at 508-660-5900, extension 299 and ask to speak to the superintendent. Demand that the prison allow Romano to see a doctor outside of the prison to receive proper medical care!
Update: Thank you to all the amazing folks who have called in already! Callers are reporting back that the DOC is insisting that Romano receives “the same medical care” as all prisoners. We don’t dispute this: Romano is a victim of a system that is deliberately understaffed and underfunded. Our Coalition has received first-hand accounts from folks inside, corroborated by dozens of people, of medical ailments that started out small, but have grown in severity due to non-treatment. By the time the DOC refers prisoners out to proper treatment, often the disease has progressed to do irreversible damage. DOC medical staff are often underqualified, and there are frequently single staff members for entire facilities.
