The advocacy group Prisoners’ Legal Services of Massachusetts filed a federal class action lawsuit on Wednesday, claiming the Essex County sheriff is denying hepatitis C treatment to people in their custody.
The organization said the sheriff’s office is denying treatment to “nearly everyone” with hepatitis C in Essex County jails, despite it being a treatable disease.
Hepatitis C is a viral infection that can cause liver failure, kidney disease, cancer, and other medical conditions, and can lead to death if left untreated. Medication — called direct-acting antivirals, or DAA — has been shown to cure more than 95% of people with the disease in eight to 12 weeks.
The prevalence of hepatitis C is significantly higher among incarcerated people than the general population, and public health experts have said treatment in prisons and jails must be prioritized to decrease spread of the virus. Individuals entering jails and prisons are more likely to have risk factors contributing to higher rates of hepatitis C, including a history of injection drug use and limited access to medical care.
A spokesperson for the Essex County sheriff’s office said all medical treatment protocols are determined by professionals working for their contracted medical provider, WellPath. The lawsuit claims WellPath’s hepatitis C policy states that initial treatment of hepatitis C “consists of self-care,” which is not medical treatment.
“Wellpath has a policy and practice of denying approval of DAA treatment to people with [hepatitis C] in Sheriff’s Department custody without medical justification,” it continues. Prisoners’ Legal Services argues the medical provider only approves treatment for those who were already in treatment when they started their incarceration, those who have documented cirrhosis , and those who have both hepatitis C and HIV.
The Essex County sheriff’s office declined to provide GBH News with the number of prisoners treated for hepatitis C in the past year, citing pending litigation. Prisoners’ Legal Services said the office’s data shows only 13 treatments initiated over a two-year period.
Two plaintiffs are named in the suit: Nathan Caron, 33, and Adam Cochrane, 36. Both are incarcerated at Middleton House of Correction and have sought treatment from the jail over the past year and been denied. One of the plaintiffs, the organization claimed, has already developed significant fibrosis while being denied treatment, despite having medical records documenting the need for it.
Caron was diagnosed before his incarceration in early 2024, and labs confirmed he had it in April 2024.
“The labs also strongly suggested that Mr. Caron was suffering from advanced liver fibrosis and cell death, such that DAA treatment was indisputably indicated over a year ago,” the complaint noted.
Caron said despite a nurse advocating on his behalf for DAA treatment, Wellpath workers sent him to have additional blood work, an ultrasound and enzyme testing.
Cochane has had the disease for at least nine years and has been incarcerated at the facility multiple times. In January, Wellpath results confirmed the diagnosis again, but he was told to get treatment “in the community,” after his release, despite his feeling effects of the disease.
“The reasons that they had received for their treatment being denied has been that their disease is essentially not serious enough for it to be worth the cost of treating them,” said Rachel Talamo, an attorney for the plaintiffs.
WellPath declined to comment.
The sheriff’s office denies any wrongdoing, saying the lawsuit misrepresents their commitment to providing care for people in their custody.
“Sheriff Kevin Coppinger takes seriously the responsibility to provide both appropriate and the highest-quality medical care, including treatment for Hepatitis C,” wrote Gretchen Grosky, public information officer, in a statement.
“We reject the premise that medical neglect is occurring, and we will vigorously defend the Department’s practices and reputation against these accusations in court,” she said.
