Settlement between prisoners, Department of Correction prompts new Hepatitis C protocol

Boston Globe
June 30, 2018
By Danny McDonald

A federal judge has approved a settlement between state prisoners who have Hepatitis C and the state’s Department of Correction that overhauls the agency’s protocol for identifying and treating inmates with the disease.

Under the terms of the settlement, new DOC prisoners will be offered Hepatitis C tests, and a new process for evaluating Hepatitis C patients “will ensure a timely assessment of the severity of their illness,” according to a statement from the attorneys representing the prisoners.

A class-action lawsuit was filed on behalf of more than 1,000 prisoners with chronic Hepatitis C in 2015.

Read more…