Officials question surgery

A doctor said his malpractice insurance does not cover inmates.
By PEGGY SINKOVICH
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
WARREN -- Jail officials want to know why the county paid $48,000 to have an inmate's ear reattached in a Pittsburgh hospital.
Sheriff Thomas Altiere and Chief of Operations Ernie Cook say they and Dr. Philip Malvasi, jail physician, are trying to figure out why the inmate had to be taken out of state.
"We will be researching this to find out exactly how this happened," Cook said.
The inmate, Roger Harris, was taken to St. Joseph's Health Center after he got into a brawl June 28 with another inmate.
"At some point during the fight, Harris was knocked to the ground and his ear fell off, so he was taken to the hospital right away," Cook said, but he couldn't offer any details on how the ear was injured.
The doctor at St. Joseph's told officials he was unable to put the ear back on and suggested that Harris be taken to St. Elizabeth Health Center in Youngstown.
A doctor at that hospital was contacted but said he couldn't treat Harris because his malpractice insurance does not cover treating jail inmates, officials said.
"Some insurances won't cover doctors if they take care of inmates," Dr. Malvasi said.
Cook said he was then told that arrangements were made for a helicopter to take Harris to Cleveland, but the weather was bad, so Harris was sent to Pittsburgh.
Other details
Dr. Malvasi added that a specialist was needed to reattach the ear.
"I don't know why a specialist couldn't have been found here," Altiere said. "In addition to the medical bills, we also had to pay deputies to guard Harris while at the hospital. The overtime costs are unreal."
Tina Creighton, public relations specialist at St. Elizabeth's, said if Harris had been taken to the hospital's trauma center, he would have been treated.
"He was never brought here," Creighton said.
Harris, who is now at the Lorain Correctional Institution, was in the jail on a charge of drug abuse.
Cook also noted that the medical bills for inmates in June and July have "increased dramatically."
"Last year during those two months, we had no one going to the hospital," Cook said. "So far we have one female and three men, including Harris, go."
He said the bills for the female inmate was $2,200 and the jail has yet to receive bills for the other two inmates.
sinkovich@vindy.com