The nurses, Maggie McDonnell, Jennifer Rivers and Nicole Dzeidzec, allege CMC told nurses backdate sick call sheets, which ultimately denied some inmates certain medication. In one instance, an inmate was suffering from severe abdominal pain. When he was brought to the hospital, he was ordered to return back to the jail.
Their attorney, Ron Benjamin, told Spectrum News the company could be trying to cut back on care because these medical issues could be driving up costs. “Inmates are not being given services, simply because the organization is trying to cut its own cost to make the contract profitable,” Mr. Benjamin said.
CMC called the nurses’ claims “baseless” and “built upon a number of lies and exaggerations,” and that the lawsuit is merely a “craft[ed] (sic) story that plays in the press and furthers efforts to disparage CMC,” reads a CMC statement posted on its website. The company noted one of the nurses was terminated for inappropriate conduct, while another was terminated after admitting to falsifying records. The third reportedly resigned after her job performance was assessed.
“Allegations that CMC was engaging in practices aimed at keeping its costs as low as possible are patently false. CMC and CBH Medical have donated in excess of $2,105,599 in staffing since their inception to address the rising acuity and severe health concerns in jails,” the statement reads. “No employee of CBH Medical or CMC has ever been instructed to falsify a medical record.”
The nurses are suing for lost wages.
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