New Vaccine Science & Practice ECHO Series Launches in Arizona

State Attorneys Denied Emergency Stay on Court-ordered Receivership of Prison Health Care System The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday denied Arizona's last-ditch effort to temporarily halt a court-ordered takeover of health care operations and management within state-run prisons. Without an emergency stay of the court's order, Arizona's Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation and Re-entry must turn over the management of its health care operations for roughly 25,000 incarcerated people to Annette Chambers-Smith, former director of the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction, beginning on October 19. Roots of the Case The dispute began in 2012 when inmates sued the department, alleging the prison system's inadequate medical, mental health, and dental care amounted to cruel and unusual punishment under the Eighth Amendment. The case went through years of litigation and a failed settlement agreement. In 2023, U.S. District Judge Roslyn Silver ruled that the health care system was "grossly inadequate." The court ordered the prison healthcare system to comply with more than 150 "quality indicators," but according to court-appointed monitors, the department failed to comply with 131 of the measures. In light of this finding, Silver mandated that health care in Arizona prisons would be overseen by Annette Chambers-Smith, former director of the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction, to take over as receiver effective Oct. 19. A Last-Ditch Appeal Attorneys for the Arizona Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation and Reentry asked the U.S. Supreme Court to delay a court-ordered receivership of the state's prison health care system. The request came after both a federal district court and the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals declined to pause the takeover. In the application, former U.S. Solicitor General Paul Clement, a representative of the department, argued that the state deserves more time to make its case before surrendering control of its operations, including oversight of its employees and health care budget. Arguments on Both Sides Clement argues receivership should have been the last resort and that Silver moved to it too quickly. He asserted that the department made measurable progress, including growing its health care staffing by more than 50%, expanding substance-use treatment access, and adopting a new care model. Corene Kendrick, deputy director of the American Civil Liberties Union National Prison Project, which represents the roughly 25,000 people incarcerated in Arizona prisons, called the department's request a "Hail Mary" and said Silver gave the department years of opportunities to comply before ordering receivership. What Happens Next Health care for thousands of incarcerated people will be managed under Chambers-Smith's oversight, as mandated by Silver, beginning on Oct. 19. The receivership affects all nine of Arizona's state-run prisons but will not impact health care for inmates in private facilities. Information in this article was sourced from the Arizona Mirror and Arizona's Family .