America's
Concerns

Medical Neglect for Innocent Inmate

August 8, 2003

Mr. Byus,
For the past 3 years you and your staff have allowed a deadly disease to consume
Mr. Caldwell's body due to what appears to be an intentional denial of adequate medical care to prisoners with lengthy sentences.

You have now convinced me that you are totally incapable of speaking the truth in regards to Mr. Caldwell's serious life-threatening condition. I believe that your so-called clinical evalutions are orchaestrated to cover-up Mr. Caldwell's true condition. You have also convinced me that it is your job to perpetuate poor medical care. I would imagine that your intent is to allow Mr. Caldwell to lose his eyesight, continue to hemorrhage and live day in, day out in excruciating pain from the multiple tumors which afflict his body. You have no chest CT-scan of Mr. Caldwell's cancerous breast tumor. You have no tests that would scope Mr. Caldwell's colon. A probing index finger into the rectum of Mr. Caldwell comes no where close to diagnosing the cause of his colonic hemorrhaging. A CT-scan of the orbits would have confirmed Optometrist Jonathan Simmons suspicions that the cause of Mr. Caldwell's vision loss is from an orbital tumor. I am already aware of your method to circumvent this truth. I can sleep at night, Mr. Byus.

Correctional Medical Services Ombudsman, Brenda Bearden, has seen Mr. Caldwell's breast tumor for herself as well as your "Dr. Boone." They have also witnessed Mr. Caldwell's right arm turn purple. Yet, you have not ordered a single test or provided any treatment for these diseases. I would also imagine that if your body was afllicted with multiple cancerous tumors you would have taken care of "your condition" at the onset. You would have to agree that it would have been more cost-effective to have treated Mr. Caldwell's diseases at their onset. Yet instead, you seem to be comfortable with letting Mr. Caldwell's cancer take his life. So do not tell me that Mr. Caldwell "may develop these conditions over his lifetime," when in fact these conditions are present and will continue to worsen.

Futhermore, no one, certainly not you, can dictate to me which method of communication I am to use to contact any State of Arkansas employee. It does not surprise me that you are angry because I know that you have done absolutely NOTHING to biopsy the chest tumor, to scope the colon, or CT-scan your prisoner's chest, right arm, and distended abdomen. This seems to be proof positive for me, that you have done absolutely NOTHING to save this human life.

As I have no time for games, Mr. Byus, I speak the truth. I will continue to contact whomever I choose in their professional capacity as state employees. The year is 2003, Mr. Byus, I suggest that you get with the program, snail-mail is not the method of communication that is chosen when a human life is at stake.

Sincerely,

A. Robinson
Durable Power of Attorney
For John M. Caldwell
107 Paxton Road
Rochester, NY 14617-4631

John Byus <John.Byus@mail.state.ar.us> wrote:

Ms. Robinson:
For the past 160+ days, you have submitted these 'critical emergency notifications' to officials of the Arkansas Department of Correction and/or the State of Arkansas. These daily notifications have routinely decried the Department and/or the State of Arkansas for not providing appropriate medical attention and/or treatment to Inmate John M. Caldwell, #90188. Each similarly worded 'notification' lists several alleged health problems such as, 'blindness of one eye', 'uncontrolled intestinal hemorrhage,' 'upper limb vascular deficiency', and 'multiple tumors.' In an effort to ensure that Inmate Caldwell is receiving appropriate health care attention for these purported maladies, numerous clinical evaluations have been instituted over this period of time to determine the presence and/or extent of these alleged health disorders.

Editor's note: John Byus failed to even type the correct prisoner ID number. It is #090188 unless the 5-digit number is sufficient.

I am pleased to inform you that, as a result of these clinical evaluations, Inmate Caldwell does not present with any serious health disorder that can not be adequately addressed by him through the standard institutional Sick Call procedure. In fact, Inmate Caldwell has never presented with any serious health problem that could not have been adequately addressed in this manner. It would appear that you and Inmate Caldwell have concocted this 'notification' process to circumvent normal channels; not to mention the 'secondary gain' either of you may gain from sending these attention getting 'notifications' to important State officials, et al.

By copy of this email, I am hereby notifying all persons and/or parties that routinely receive these 'notifications' that there is no substance to the remarks contained therein. Inmate Caldwell is not blind of one eye, does not have uncontrolled intestinal hemorrhage, does not have any significant vascular abnormality of any upper extremity, and does not have any evidence of any cancerous tumors as you allege. It is possible, though, that he may develop these conditions over his lifetime. But such are not present as of August 1, 2003.

Further,

I am informing all persons and/or parties that have received your 'notifications' that these stylized notices are an affront to the Department and/or the State of Arkansas and should be assigned similar value upon receipt. All such 'notifications' should and will be deleted from any electronic inbox effective immediately. Should you find it necessary to communicate any further concerns on behalf of this inmate you may do so through standard correspondence via US Mail to: Medical Services Administration, Arkansas Department of Correction, P.O. Box 8707, Pine Bluff, AR, 71611. Correspondence shall be appropriately routed to proper staff for their review and/or action.

John Byus
Administrator
Medical/Dental Services
Arkansas Department of Correction

 

-----Original Message-----
From: Angela Robinson [mailto:ar_4_justice@yahoo.com]
Sent: Friday, August 01, 2003 7:39 AM
To: mike.huckabee@gov.state.ar.us; John Byus; Greg Harmon; Ray Hobbs; Larry Norris; James Gibson; Nancy Clark; Max Mobley; Steve Williams
Subject: CRITICAL MEDICAL EMERGENCY - PLEASE RESPOND

August 1, 2003

Governor Mike Huckabee

 

 

Governors Office                161st NOTIFICATION
State Capitol Room 250
Little Rock, AR 72201

RE: MR. JOHN M. CALDWELL
ADC 090188
E.A.R.U. MAX 5-2

Dear Governor Huckabee:
Mr. Caldwell has broken no law and yet he has had punitive measures placed upon him. I have sent to your attention, NUMEROUS letters, in an attempt to get Mr. Caldwell the treatment he needs. Is it common practice within the State of Arkansas to stifle an inmate that has pleaded through every grievance possible for medical treatment? Has your administration chosen to ignore the medical pleas of Mr. Caldwell? What will happen to Mr. Caldwell next? Who is it that decides which inmates will receive treatment and which will not? WHY IS THE STATE CONTINUING TO DENY MR. CALDWELL TREATMENT?

Mr. Caldwell's condition has worsened due to the State's refusal to treat him. The State has not provided adequate medical care for Mr. Caldwell. MR. CALDWELL'S ARM CONTINUES TO TURN COLD AND BLUE. MR. CALDWELL HAS NOW LOST SIGHT IN HIS EYE. MR. CALDWELL CONTINUES TO HEMORRHAGE. MR. CALDWELL REQUIRES A COLONOSCOPY AND MRI AT MINIMUM.  MR. CALDWELL HAS MULTIPLE TUMORS THAT NEED TO BE REMOVED.  MR. HUCKABEE, MR. CALDWELL REQUIRES HOSPITALIZATION.
Sincerely,

A. Robinson
107 Paxton Road
Rochester, NY 14617-4631