Philadelphia Jail Killed Man by Depriving Him of Insulin, Lawsuit Says
The Appeal, 10/23/24: “Staff at a Philadelphia jail killed Louis Jung, Jr., who had Type 1 Diabetes, by depriving him of insulin for six consecutive days, according to a lawsuit filed today by two of his sons.
Jung’s sons are suing, among others, the former commissioner of the Philadelphia Department of Prisons (PDP) and the jail’s for-profit medical provider, YesCare—formerly known as Corizon Health.
‘Because of PDP’s grossly inadequate policies and practices, Mr. Jung died from a preventable medical catastrophe that should have been avoided through adherence to basic medical standards of care for Type I diabetes,’ the complaint says.
About two million Americans live with Type 1 diabetes, an incurable autoimmune disease in which a person’s pancreas ceases making insulin. People with Type 1 diabetes typically obtain insulin through injections or a pump. Without insulin, they develop diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA), a life-threatening condition that requires immediate hospitalization.
People with Type 1 diabetes are protected by the Americans with Disabilities Act. But jails and prisons often ignore obligations to provide care and fail to follow the guidelines set by the American Diabetes Association.
The suit says medical staff did not consistently give Jung his prescribed insulin or monitor and document Jung’s glucose levels. While at Curran–Fromhold Correctional Facility, he was hospitalized multiple times with DKA. His first hospital stay occurred just four days after he arrived.
The suit says that in the last six days of his life, the facility gave him no insulin at all.”