Pamela Smothers v. Roger Childers

Birmingham, Alabama civil rights lawyer represented the Plaintiff on a medical malpractice wrongful death theory.

In 2009, the Walker County Commission entered into a Contract for Services (hereinafter referred to as "CFS”)[2] with Alabama-based third-party medical provider PFHS for the provision of comprehensive onsite medical services for inmates in the Walker County Jail in exchange for $168,000 annually in payments of $14,000 per month. (Doc. # 70-5 at 5). Walker County Administrator Robbie Dickerson testified that PFHS was one of the lowest-cost providers that submitted bids to Walker County to provide medical care for the Walker County Jail. (Doc. # 701 at 30). The 2009 CFS indicated that PFHS would "provide basic medical care, treatment(s) and services(s) [sic] to the 'County' inmates of the 'County Jail' seven (7) days per week.” (Doc. # 705 at 2). The CFS further provided that "Physicians will come [to] the jail for formal clinic one (1) day per week,” and that PFHS "will have a physician on call and available to the nurses and jail staff for special situations seven (7) days per week, twenty-four (24) hours per day.” (Id. at 3). Additionally, the CFS provides that PFHS "will have a nurse available at the jail seven (7) days per week during defined hours” and that the "nurse will administer medication” and schedule necessary appointments for County inmates (including "appointment(s) with specialists”). (Id.). These appointments included for "[d]ental, orthopedics, ophthalmologist, MRI, X-rays, lab work or other medical treatment(s) or need(s) requiring appointment(s) with specialists” as ordered by the jail physician. (Id.).