Federal Receiver J. Clark Kelso will sign a “Notice to Proceed” for the first phase of his total $7 Billion construction program.

Mr. Kelso comes to the California Prison Health Care Receivership with more than fifteen years of experience in a wide variety of positions in all three branches of state government,

California Prison Health Care Receiver J. Clark Kelso is today filing a quarterly report with Federal Judge outlining his successes but also detailing how “the State’s obstruction threatens the Receiver’s ability to resolve prison medical problems in a timely and cost effective manner.”

U.S. District Court Judge Thelton Henderson, today issued an order approving the “Turnaround Plan of Action” which was submitted by the Federal Receiver of the California Prison Health Care System.

SB 1665 was introduced to provide cost-effective bond financing for these construction programs, financing that would avoid the need to adversely impact the General Fund for the next three years.

Clark Kelso, Federal Receiver for the California Prison Health Care Receivership Corp., will be available to media after the Senate Floor vote on SB 1665 on Tuesday, May 27, 2008 at 501 J. Street in Sacramento in Suite 100.

Federal Receiver J. Clark Kelso has released a draft strategic plan for a 30-day public review and comment period.

The action results from collaboration by the Receiver’s office, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation’s (CDCR) Office of Internal Affairs and the State of California Franchise Tax Board.

The approximately 300-page plan encompasses fundamental aspects of the ailing medical system, including recruitment of qualified staff, nurse and physician performance and development, access to care, specialty services, pharmacy, laboratory, radiology, medical records, quality measurement, inmate appeals, information technology, medical services contracting, fiscal organization, construction of new facilities, the San Quentin project and coordination with three other federal court cases governing mental health, dental care and inmates with disabilities.

In an analysis of California inmate deaths in 2006 released last week, the Receiver found that 66 of them – or 15 percent – were preventable (18) or possibly preventable (48).