Onondaga County agreed to pay $100,000 to a woman whose baby died after she gave in 2022 gave birth at the county.
The family of Cheree Byrd reached a separate settlement with the medical care provider, Proactive HealthCare Inc., a subsidiary of NaphCare. The county legislature will vote on Tuesday whether to approve the settlements.
In 2022, Cheree Byrd, a 35-year-old woman incarcerated in the Onondaga County jail, went into premature labor. Byrd had a history of premature labor, and her mother told medical officials that premature births ran in their family, according to her lawsuit.
Although she cried out that her water had broken and that her baby’s head was in her birth canal, Byrd was not seen by a physician until 30 hours after her water broke, according to a report issued by the New York State Commission of Corrections. Her claims of being in labor were ignored over six days, said a mortality report by SCOC.
Instead of medical care, nurses gave her tampons and tylenol, her mother told Central Current in 2022.
Byrd began to report that her water had broken on July 27, but medical staff determined she was not in labor, according to the settlement resolution presented to the county legislature.
Read more of our coverage of the Onondaga County jail:
- Birth of premature baby at Syracuse jail: Blood, cries for help concern family and inmates
- Infant’s death at Syracuse jail: 3 months later, still few answers
- Infant’s death at Syracuse jail: Family files claim, preserving right to sue
- ‘Deficient and negligent’ care may have led to the death of infant born at Onondaga County jail, state watchdog says
- Deaths Abound in New York’s Jail Infirmaries. So Do Profits.
They again decided she had not gone into labor on Aug. 1, said the settlement resolution said.
On Aug. 2, a sheriff’s deputy noticed she was in active labor, and called an ambulance.
By the time she was rushed to the hospital, Byrd had already given birth to her daughter inside her jail cell. The baby ultimately died a few hours after birth.
At least two other people died after receiving subpar medical care during NaphCare’s three-year contract with Onondaga County, say SCOC mortality reports from the time.
“We are deeply saddened by these events and wish Ms. Byrd and her family health and healing in moving forward,” said a spokesperson for NaphCare. “NaphCare previously reached a settlement in this case, the terms of which are confidential.”
The county executive’s office also did not respond to a request for comment as of publication.
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