May 23, 2011
“By affirming that prison overcrowding is the primary cause of the troubled prison health care system and ordering the state to implement the court order to reduce prison overcrowding without delay, the Supreme Court decision has provided the state with clear direction. We have well defined and prudent plans to continue our work in meeting the court mandate to improve inmate health care, which includes adding much needed capacity within the health care system through construction of the California Health Care Facility in Stockton and renovation of existing institutions.
Since my arrival in 2008, we have succeeded in working collaboratively with state and legislative leadership to improve access to and the quality of health care throughout the prison system while reducing expenses, but challenges do remain. The prisons with severe overcrowding issues are where we continue to have difficulty in meeting federal court mandates. We continue our commitment to work with the Governor and the Legislature to move forward in implementing plans that will help alleviate the overcrowding issue and meet health care mandates.“
J. Clark Kelso, Receiver
California Prison Health Care Service