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Nicole Gonzales reporting Utah State prisoners who are sick with severe kidney failure now have no reason to leave the facility to receive medical care. A new hemodialysis machine has been installed at the prison, eliminating the need for costly medical transportation and reducing the risk of prisoners escaping.
Five inmates will be taking advantage of the new machine on site. The idea of treating inmates at the prison stemmed from a June 2007 situation where one prisoner escaped during a medical transport and killed a correctional officer.
Officials say this new method serves many purposes and will save about $55,000 a year. "The bottom line is we're saving money. But we can't lose sight of the fact that we're improving public safety by not sending our inmates out into the community, as well as improving care," explained Dr. Richard Garden, clinical director for the Utah Department of Corrections.
Previously, inmates would go to the University South Valley Dialysis Center three times a week for four hours each visit. Now, the same university staff works at the prison and provides the necessary machines and equipment.
One patient named George Putnam thinks having the same staff is what makes the grueling four-hour treatment bearable. Putnam was diagnosed in 1994 with a disease that attacks his kidneys.
Since Putnam's been in prison, his kidneys have failed, and because his body rejects certain organs, he isn't a viable candidate for a transplant. He will have to be on hemodialysis for the rest of his life. Now his treatments are a little more comfortable.
"When you go out into the streets you're all handcuffed up, shackled up, belt around your waist, so it's uncomfortable. Here we only have one chain to deal with," Putnam explained.
Hemodialysis is a process that removes waste, chemicals and fluid from blood. Four of the five inmates being treated have kidney failure as a result of diabetes.
