“'Instead of allowing Mr. Phelps to self-catheterize, which the jail had allowed previously, in June 2017 jail medical staff inserted and oversaw the drainage of a Foley catheter,' the suit stated. 'The Foley catheter caused Mr. Phelps discomfort and ultimately eroded his urethra due to the use of an ineffective catheter strap and other problems.'
According to the claim, the scar tissue and injuries sustained from the botched procedure prevented Phelps from being able to return to self-catheterization, as he had done previously."
"As a result of the damage, the suit said Phelps required a two-part reconstructive surgery to repair his urethra, however, an additional mistake made by medical staff left Phelps with further injuries, the complaint said."
“After the completion of the second stage of surgery, John Doe incorrectly inserted a Foley catheter and inflated an anchoring bulb in Mr. Phelps’ urethra (as opposed to the bladder),' Haile wrote. 'This action ripped the urethral suture line and indefinitely prolonged the time Mr. Phelps will be required to use a suprapubic catheter provided to him after the surgery.'”
"The claim chronicled the numerous medical issues Phelps endured during his incarceration at the Douglas County Jail, beginning with the switch from his French catheter in 2017 until the incorrectly attached Foley catheter fell out of him in 2019."
"On Sept. 3, 2017, Phelps wrote to Wellpath Management Inc. staff, which was formerly known as Correct Care Solutions, that he was 'bleeding from in my pee hole when I cath' for the second day in a row and that the experience was 'very painful.'”
"According to the medical timeline included within the complaint, the prisoner endured nearly two years of medical misfortunes while under the care of the Douglas County jail and continued to suffer until December 2019 when Dr. Chouhan decided to have all of Phelp’s future catheter exchanges conducted at OHSU.
The complaint showed Dr. Chouchan stated, 'the patient has had more than one traumatic catheter issue while in his facility. This would be to minimize further trauma to the urethra.'”
"The lawsuit accuses Douglas County, Wellpath Management Inc., Dr. Steven Blum, and five unnamed medical staff employees of negligence and failing to provide proper medical care under the 14th Amendment."
“'While Douglas County incarcerated Mr. Phelps in the Douglas County Jail, he was unable to access any medical care on his own,' the suit stated. “Douglas County had a non-delegable duty to ensure that Mr. Phelps was able to access adequate medical care while he was incarcerated in the Douglas County Jail.”
"As a result of the injuries sustained while in custody, the lawsuit said Phelps now requires the permanent fixture of a suprapubic catheter tube to urinate, has suffered continued urinary tract infections, lost all function of his penis for bodily and sexual purposes, and will always need a stomach tube and bladder drainage bag in public."
"The total amount in economic damages Phelps is seeking from all defendants is $2.6 Million."
