The death of a rural Lena man is raising questions as to whether Oconto County Jail inmates are receiving adequate medical care.
Jeffrey “Jeff” Furst, 44, died Dec. 14 at a Green Bay hospital.
According to Jail Administrator Carol Kopp, an ambulance was called at approximately 7 p.m. Dec. 13 for Furst, who was transferred to Bellin Health Oconto Hospital, then placed on a medical flight to Bellin Hospital in Green Bay. He was pronounced dead at 4:06 a.m. Dec. 14.
Medical Examiner Al Klimek said he could not release the cause of death due to privacy regulations. However, he said, the death was the result of a medical condition.
“It was a result of a natural disease process,” he said.
Furst’s wife, Lena, told the Times Herald the family is considering legal action.
Jeff Furst was arrested Nov. 14 in Lena and charged with intentionally pointing a firearm at a person and two disorderly conduct charges, all misdemeanors. Lena Furst said her husband began complaining of chest pain toward the end of the second week of incarceration and was given Tums, which did not help.
When the chest pains continued, he was given Lisinopril, a drug used in the treatment of hypertension, Lena Furst said. However, the pains continued to escalate.
He reportedly complained about the pain again Dec. 13 after eating some chili. After he fell out of his bed, emergency medical personnel were called and administered CPR.
The Sheriff’s Department reviewed its handling of the situation with Lena Furst, she said, but would not release copies of its documents, saying the investigation was still ongoing.
Kopp said there are policies in place to address inmates’ medical concerns and medical emergencies.
“We certainly feel we followed our protocol. We got assistance as soon as possible for the gentleman,” she said.
Furst had the opportunity to be seen by medical personnel at the jail, just as every other inmate, according to Kopp. Patient confidentiality prevented her from saying if he had been seeing a health care provider before his death, she said.
Kopp said jail administrators are comfortable with how things were handled, and she expressed sympathy to the family.
Oconto County contracts with a medical service, CHC, to provide care for inmates. CHC’s agreement with the county includes 22 hours a week for a nurse, plus a doctor visit once every other week. The nurse has direct contact with a doctor on an as-needed basis.
For Kim Zehms, fiancé of inmate Darryl Larock, this is just not enough. She said Larock has told her his medical problems are repeatedly ignored, and she is concerned he is not receiving the medical care he requires.
“I don’t want to have anything bad happen to Darryl while he’s there,” she said.
The death of Furst should be an incentive for the jail to improve its policies regarding medical care, she said.
“That’s just one person … but I hear … there are other inmates there with problems,” Zehms said.
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