ENROLLED
2020 Regular Session
HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOL UTION NO. 91
BY REPRESENTATIVE LANDRY
A CONCURRENT RESOL UTION
To urge and request Voice of the Experienced, the Formerly Incarcerated Transition Clinic
at the Ruth U. Fertel Tulane Community Health Center, Loyola University New
Orleans College of Law, and the Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center
at New Orleans to study the adequacy of health services provided to inmates in
facilities operated by the Department of Public Safety and Corrections and to report
findings of the study to the legislature.
WHEREAS, in Estelle v. Gamble, 429 U.S. 97 (1976), the United States Supreme
Court held that incarcerated persons have a constitutional right to receive medical treatment;
and
WHEREAS, the state of Louisiana has the highest incarceration rate in the United
States; and
WHEREAS, the Department of Public Safety and Corrections employs physicians
with histories of sanctions against their medical licenses to practice in state prisons under
its control; and
WHEREAS, studies have indicated that more than half of all physicians working
full-time in Louisiana state prisons have been disciplined by the Louisiana State Board of
Medical Examiners for serious offenses; and
WHEREAS, by comparison, studies have indicated that the approximate proportion
of licensed physicians serving the general population in this state who have faced sanctions
from the Louisiana State Board of Medical Examiners is only two percent; and
WHEREAS, incarcerated persons commonly have acute medical needs and should
be provided with the same level of treatment as the general population; and
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WHEREAS, Voice of the Experienced is a Louisiana membership organization by
and for persons who are directly impacted by the criminal justice system, including
incarcerated persons and their family members, persons under community supervision, and
persons living with the lifetime impacts of criminal convictions; and
WHEREAS, the Formerly Incarcerated Transition (FIT) Clinic at the Ruth U. Fertel
Tulane Community Health Center is the only clinic in the southeast United States that
furnishes care and services specifically for former inmates; the clinic provides access to
primary care, insurance, medication, government benefits support, and other services; and
WHEREAS, Loyola University New Orleans College of Law is a prominent law
school in this state with one of the most-highly regarded clinical programs in the country;
and
WHEREAS, the Louisiana State University (LSU) Health Sciences Center at New
Orleans is a public university focused on the health sciences.
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of Louisiana does hereby
urge and request Voice of the Experienced, the FIT Clinic at the Ruth U. Fertel Tulane
Community Health Center, Loyola University New Orleans College of Law, and the LSU
Health Sciences Center at New Orleans to study the adequacy of health services provided
to incarcerated persons in facilities operated by the Department of Public Safety and
Corrections.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that, in this study effort, Voice of the Experienced,
the FIT Clinic at the Ruth U. Fertel Tulane Community Health Center, Loyola University
New Orleans College of Law, and the LSU Health Sciences Center at New Orleans may
work with and receive information from various stakeholders in the criminal justice system,
including but not limited to representatives of the Department of Public Safety and
Corrections, the Louisiana State Board of Medical Examiners, and other state agencies and
institutions as may be appropriate.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that Voice of the Experienced, the FIT Clinic at the
Ruth U. Fertel Tulane Community Health Center, Loyola University New Orleans College
of Law, and the LSU Health Sciences Center at New Orleans may also study relevant case
law and national practices to better understand other approaches for providing adequate
medical care to inmates in state and federal prisons.
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BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that Voice of the Experienced, the FIT Clinic at the
Ruth U. Fertel Tulane Community Health Center, Loyola University New Orleans College
of Law, and the LSU Health Sciences Center at New Orleans shall report findings from the
study called for in this Resolution to the legislature on or before February 1, 2021.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to the
executive director of Voice of the Experienced, the director of the Formerly Incarcerated
Transition Clinic at the Ruth U. Fertel Tulane Community Health Center, the dean of Loyola
University New Orleans College of Law, the chancellor of the Louisiana State University
Health Sciences Center at New Orleans, the executive director of the Louisiana State Board
of Medical Examiners, and the secretary of the Department of Public Safety and Corrections.
SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE
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