PITTSBURGH — After years of criticism, calls for change and the installation of a new warden, there are still problems with serious medical concerns at the Allegheny County Jail and instances of family members and the jail oversight board being left in the dark about emergency treatment.
The family of Montaeya White, 32, said she nearly died last week.
“Allegheny General called me and informed me that my sister was in here fighting for her life,” said Naomi White.
Montaeya, whose family calls her “Taeya,” was rushed to the hospital and then transferred to Allegheny General Hospital for emergency heart surgery, according to family members.
Surgeons placed stents in her heart to stabilize her. Her family said she was on a ventilator but is improving and was taken off it a few days ago. She remains in the intensive care unit.
“I couldn’t believe my sister was sitting there on life support,” Naomi White said, recalling what was going through her mind when she saw her sister in the hospital for the first time.
“I’m like, Lord Jesus, not again. Not again,” White said.
She has already lost two siblings in the last two years, including her older brother, who died of heart problems.
“I just started praying. I just started crying. I didn’t – I didn’t want her to die,” she said.
Montaeya White’s doctors told the family she has congestive heart failure. It means her heart cannot pump enough blood to the lungs.
Her family said she struggles with addiction. Court records show she had been in the county jail since April, awaiting trial on robbery charges.
After she was hospitalized last week, a judge released her from custody so her family could see her and get updates on her condition.
They had been worrying about her for months.
The family said Montaeya was experiencing shortness of breath, significant weight gain, chest pain and losing her breath while she was sleeping. All of those are symptoms of heart failure.
The family said Montaeya filled out a sick form on her jail-issued tablet, which is standard protocol for requesting medical attention in the facility. It is unclear when those requests were made or how jail staff responded.
The family said they also heard from other people incarcerated with Montaeya, who expressed that she was ill and experiencing shortness of breath and visible weight gain and that she needed medical attention.
The family called and emailed the jail, the county executive and the jail oversight board in August.
The email read in part, “I am urgently requesting immediate medical attention for my loved one, Montaeya Shabree White, currently incarcerated at the Allegheny County Jail… We have been informed that she is extremely sick, barely recognizable, and not leaving her cell... We are deeply concerned for her health and safety, and we fear she requires hospitalization.”
She was rushed to the hospital nearly three months after those emails went out.
“My sister is not a bad person. She just made bad choices. But that don’t mean that she deserved to get neglected or treated unfairly,” Naomi White said.
Allegheny County Councilperson Bethany Hallam sits on the jail oversight board and said the board was not informed about Montaeya’s hospitalization and emergency surgery last week.
“Absolutely inexcusable,” Hallam said. “And that’s really concerning cause how many other things like this are happening that we don’t know about until you call me and tell me about it?”
Hallam spoke to the family a few months back after they made a social media post asking for help. She said she talked to the warden at the time, who said he spoke with Monteaya White. It is unclear what medical attention she received in the time since.
The jail declined to comment or respond to specific questions, citing HIPAA. They would not confirm if any investigations have been launched into the events that led to Monteaya White’s hospitalization.
Hallam is now calling for a full investigation and said she plans to push harder for a policy change she has been trying to get codified for years. It would require family and attorney notification when an inmate requires serious medical care or hospitalization.
“Other members of the jail oversight board that I’ve talked to since you contacted me yesterday are equally enraged,” Hallam said.
“She still isn’t out of the woods yet. What do you want to say to her family?” investigative reporter Jatara McGee asked.
“I hope that you guys sue the hell out of the Allegheny County administration,” Hallam responded.
She added that she plans to go to the jail this week to review surveillance video and records to try to gain a better understanding of what went wrong.
The family’s main concern is Montaeya White’s health. They said they’re praying she continues to progress. They said her doctors said she could be in the hospital for months.
Naomi White is trying to stay hopeful; she’s relieved that her sister is fighting and appears to be improving and said she sees this as a second chance for her sister.
“I honestly think this is her wake-up call to finally start doing what’s right,” she said. “She has a heart of gold.”
Allegheny County Communications Director Abigail Gardner released the following statement.
“Incarcerated individuals at the Allegheny County Jail frequently require medical care as a matter of course. The Allegheny County Jail administration has worked hard over the last few years to improve the quality of care, timely access to care, and health care outcomes. Jail administration has also increased communication and transparency with the Jail Oversight Board and will continue to work closely with them to make sure timely and appropriate updates are conveyed.”
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