WA woman with tuberculosis faces arrest for refusing treatment

[Auburn85 438]

https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/law-justice/wa-woman-with-tuberculosis-faces-arrest-for-refusing-treatment/

 

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Feb. 24, 2023 at 5:22 pm Updated Feb. 24, 2023 at 6:01 pm

 

By

Debbie Cockrell

The News Tribune

 

A Pierce County Superior Court judge Friday issued an order of contempt and authorized the arrest of a Pierce County woman who continues to refuse isolation, testing and treatment for tuberculosis.

Superior Court Judge Philip Sorensen’s order was in response to a supplemental petition to the court filed by a representative for the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department on Feb. 17.

Sorensen on Friday wrote that the supplemental petition “for order of contempt and ordering involuntary detention, testing, and treatment is granted” and that “the warrant for civil arrest shall be executed by law enforcement without prior notice at a time on or following March 3. … Law enforcement shall transport Respondent in a transport vehicle appropriate for respondent’s infectiousness to Pierce County Jail.”

The patient was ordered to serve for a period “not to exceed forty-five days to undergo testing and treatment for active tuberculosis and to continue such treatment until medical tests conclusively establish that she no longer presents a threat to the public health, safety, and welfare, whereupon respondent shall immediately be released from detention.”

A hearing via Zoom is scheduled for March 2. The health department has maintained that jail time is a method of last resort in noncompliance cases.

The health department, in a statement to The News Tribune following Sorensen’s order, said via email, “We are always hopeful that a patient will choose voluntary compliance in these situations and get the treatment needed to protect themselves and others.”

It added, “We will continue to work through the legal process and all options available.”

The department did not directly answer whether compliance would ultimately avoid time in jail, but said, “Generally, a patient’s voluntary compliance could potentially impact the desire to pursue further legal action.”

Denise Stinson, communicable disease control program manager for the health department, is the department’s representing health officer in the case filings. In the Feb. 17 filing, Stinson, via the department’s attorney, sought an order “authorizing involuntary detention, testing, and treatment,” in the TB case, because the department had “determined, or has reason to believe, that the respondent continues to be infected … “

The filing stated that Stinson “has determined that [the patient] has not remained in her residence in accord with the court’s orders, nor has she treated or tested to determine the status of her tuberculosis infection.”

On Jan. 20, 2023, Sorensen issued an order authorizing involuntary detention, testing and treatment of the woman, who is not identified in court documents as a matter of patient privacy. According to the case filings, the woman started, then refused continuing treatment for TB after testing positive. The health department first sought court-ordered compliance in January 2022, with orders renewed by the court through 2022. The department, in its filings, said it had “attempted and failed to obtain voluntary compliance for voluntary isolation and treatment.”

On Jan. 30, the health department went public with the case, noting it was “working with her and her family to try to persuade her to get the treatment she needs to help cure the TB so she can protect herself and others.”

On Feb. 3, The News Tribune reported the case had been ongoing for more than a year, citing court records.

The Feb. 17 petition from TPCHD’s Stinson noted that attempts to gain voluntary compliance for isolation, testing and treatment had “failed to obtain” compliance.

“The Local Health Officer has considered other less restrictive alternatives to involuntary detention, testing, and treatment — namely voluntary isolation and treatment — and has determined that such less restrictive alternatives are inadequate to provide the measure of public protection necessary, given the serious and imminent risk to public health and safety posed by the condition or suspected condition,” the petition noted.

 

 

[Auburn85 438]

https://komonews.com/news/local/tuberculosis-tacoma-woman-refuses-treatment-arrest-warrant-pierce-county-health-department-health-risk-jail-court-order-isolation-testing

 

 

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Tacoma woman continues to refuse tuberculosis treatment despite active arrest warrant

April 6

TACOMA, Wash — A Tacoma woman who has been avoiding treatment and isolation for tuberculosis for more than a year has continued to leave her home despite a warrant for her arrest.

Last month, Pierce County judge Philip Sorenson signed off on an arrest warrant authorizing law enforcement to detain the woman on or following March 3 and take her to a facility to get treatment for her active tuberculosis

Court documents released this week show that Patricia Jackson, chief of the Pierce County Corrections Bureau, assigned an officer to surveil the woman in an attempt to safely get her into custody for her tuberculosis treatment however the officer found that the woman left her home, got onto a city bus, and went to a local casino.

A Court Visitor who was appointed by the court to work with the woman and her family said she has been unable to contact them since a scheduled appointment on March 2.

A review hearing is scheduled for Friday where an attorney for the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department (TPCHD) is expected to ask the court to order another involuntary detention, testing, and treatment of the woman starting April 7 and lasting for 45 days.

Friday's newest court order will be the 16th time that the woman has been ordered to submit to isolation, testing, and treatment, court documents show. The last order was issued on Feb. 24 however it was found that the woman was not complying with the order of isolation, testing, or treatment.

The health department said law enforcement has a civil arrest warrant to detain the woman for treatment. "We are always hopeful that a patient will choose voluntary compliance in these situations and get the treatment needed to protect themselves and others. We will continue to work through the legal process and all options available," the health department said.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the treatment for tuberculosis can take three to nine months. People who end treatment early, as the Tacoma woman has, can also develop antibiotic resistance. The CDC also said that the disease spreads through the air when a person with tuberculosis coughs, speaks or sings. The bacteria can then get into the air and people nearby may breathe in the bacteria and become infected.

Health officials in Pierce County said this case is a rare instance as most people with tuberculosis voluntarily seek treatment or isolation. The health department has worked with the woman's family and community members for more than a year to persuade the woman to take her medication to protect herself and her community.

When the woman is detained, she will be brought to the Pierce County Jail for no more than 45 days to treat active tuberculosis and continue the treatment until tests conclusively show that she is no longer a threat to public health and welfare, at which time she would be released from jail. "It’s not about jail time at all," said Sgt. Darren Moss, Jr. a spokesperson for the Pierce County Sheriff's Department. "It’s about compliance with the health department’s orders."

Moss told KOMO News that tuberculosis used to be common in the jail. "That’s why our jail has negative pressure rooms," said Moss. "Basically what that does is isolate the air within that room so it doesn’t infect the rest of the rooms within the facility."

RELATED | Tacoma woman with tuberculosis could face jail time for refusing treatment

Nigel Turner, a spokesperson with TPCHD, said this is only the third time in 20 years that they have had to seek a court order to detain a person for tuberculosis treatment.

TB is one of the most common illnesses in the world, with some 10 million new cases every year. The TPCHD, however, only gets reports of about 15 to 25 active cases a year which is part of the 200 cases reported statewide each year.

Under Washington state law, health officials have the authority to seek a court order to persuade patients to comply with treatment. TB is caused by a bacteria that usually attacks the lungs, but the CDC said it can also affect other parts of the body, such as the brain, kidneys, or spine. A blood or skin test can be used to diagnose someone with TB.

 

 

[TitanTiger 21,555]

WTF is wrong with this woman?

[Auburn85 438]

https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/4033095-woman-arrested-in-washington-after-refusing-treatment-for-tuberculosis-for-year/

 

 

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Woman arrested in Washington after refusing treatment for tuberculosis for year

by Jared Gans - 06/03/23 11:18 AM ET

 

A woman has been arrested in Washington state after authorities said she refused to seek treatment for tuberculosis for more than a year. 

The Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department said in a statement on Thursday that the woman, who was not identified, was taken to the Pierce County Jail where she will be housed in a room specially equipped for isolation, testing and treatment. The department thanked the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department and deputies for their role in the “necessary intervention.” 

“We are hopeful she will choose to get the life-saving treatment she needs to treat her tuberculosis,” the department said. 

The department said months ago that the woman had refused to take the life-saving medication that she needs and did not stay in isolation. It said officials had worked with her family and community members for more than a year to try to persuade her to get treatment, but they turned to their “last option” of having an arrest warrant be issued for the woman. 

A judge held the woman in civil contempt for violating his order that she take medication or go into isolation and issued the arrest warrant for her to be taken into custody on or after March 3. 

The department said this case marks only the third time in the past 20 years that it needed to seek a court order to detain a potentially contagious patient who refused to see treatment. It said people can die from tuberculosis if they do not get treatment, and they can unnecessarily expose others to the virus. 

Law enforcement officials did not immediately detain the woman after the warrant was issued, but they eventually arrested her Thursday. 

“When we face challenges with a person who does not want to take medication or isolate, we connect with family members, friends, and people in their community to help. We work to remove any barriers that may be in the way of them getting the treatment they need,” the statement said. 

“When these options don’t work, the Health Department has an obligation to the community and the legal authority to seek a court order to persuade patients to comply,” the department continued.

 

 

[aubiefifty 18,443]

there is an oldTB Sanatorium in Gadsden ten  minutes away from Noccalula falls. it sits on the edge of what used to be the ol tuckaho golf course. the gossip was when TB was just killing folks they locked you up i guess until you were cured or died. it is really odd where it is because it is a nice upper middle class neighborhood.i have no idea how that happened altho it is also across the street from a scenic cliff. i think when it  was built it  was all woods back then. i believe it is some kind of mental health site now. but i remember old folks talking about how many folks died from that mess. it wasbad enough when werolled by on bikes we pedaled faster even tho the TB thing had been gone for a while.

[creed 1,818]

On 4/7/2023 at 3:52 PM, TitanTiger said:

WTF is wrong with this woman?

She's probably a MAGA....;-)