The American journal of hospice & palliative care
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Am J Hosp Palliat Care · Jun 2021
Providing Ethical and Humane Care to Hospitalized, Incarcerated Patients With COVID-19.
The COVID-19 pandemic is devastating the health of hundreds of thousands of people who live and work in U. S. jails and prisons. Due to dozens of large outbreaks in correctional facilities, tens of thousands of seriously ill incarcerated people are receiving medical care in the community hospital setting. ⋯ If ethical care is being obstructed, community health care professionals should contact the prison's warden and medical director to explain their concerns and ask questions. If necessary, community clinicians should involve a hospital's ethics committee, leadership, and legal counsel. Correctional medicine experts and legal advocates for incarcerated people can also help community clinicians safeguard the rights of incarcerated patients.