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SHELBY COUNTY, Tenn. - The Reverend Al Sharpton is coming to Memphis Tuesday to give the eulogy for Ramon McGhee, a Shelby County Jail inmate who died after "severe neglect" and "severe body insect infestations", according to his preliminary autopsy.

McGhee's family told FOX13 that the 42-year-old was covered in lice and bed burgs when he arrived at a hospital on January 12, 2024, two days after he was found unresponsive at 201 Poplar.

RELATED: Prelim autopsy of 201 Poplar inmate shows 'severe body insect infestations'

Rev. Sharpton will deliver McGhee's eulogy at his memorial service at Mississippi Boulevard Christian Church on Tuesday, March 5 at noon.

Gershun Freeman, Deion Byrd and Marcus Donald, other Shelby County Jail inmates who died, will be eulogized alongside McGhee, according to the office of attorney Ben Crump who represents McGhee's family.

Families of all the inmates are expected to be in attendance alongside Crump and Rev. Sharpton.

Two deputy jailers were charged with murder after video was released showing a lengthy physical altercation between Freeman and several jailers at 201 Poplar.

RELATED: 2 deputy jailers charged with murder, several others with assault in Gershun Freeman's death, sources tell FOX13

Deion Byrd died after being stabbed by another inmate outside of a courtroom at 201 Poplar, according to investigators.

RELATED: FOX13 Investigates: Family of 201 inmate killed files wrongful death lawsuit

Marcus Donald had recently had his case dismissed and was waiting to be released when he was placed in a cell with Stephen Robinson. Robinson strangled Donald to death and pled guilty to his murder in November of 2023.

RELATED: Shelby County inmate who killed man waiting to be released pleads guilty to murder

According to McGhee's preliminary autopsy, the 42-year-old suffered from "a multitude of ailments" due to neglect, including severe anemia, kidney disease and organ failure/severe sepsis.

Crump called the preliminary autopsy findings "evidence of the abuse and intolerable treatment constantly experienced by inmates."

The Shelby County Sheriff's Office released a statement following McGhee's death, calling it "unacceptable" and saying that corrective measures have been put in place.

"The jail struggles daily with mentally ill residents, particularly those who refuse medication and treatment for medical issues. Some of them, unfortunately, use their bodily waste to stain their cell walls and floors. Their cells are cleaned daily and multiple time a day, if needed. These cell conditions are not commonplace in the jail. Many of our mentally ill residents belong in treatment facilities, not this jail," the sheriff's office said, in part.

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Call Comes as Transplant Recipients on Medicare Mark One Year Without Access to Blood Test Able to Catch Rejections Early

NEW YORK, March 6, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The Health Equity in Transplantation Coalition (HEiTC) representing Black, Brown, and minority transplant patients nationwide is calling on the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to restore Medicare coverage for critical diagnostic blood tests without any ties to biopsies. Last week, CMS issued a revised Billing Article and public statement highlighting a revision to its March 2023 coverage policy, which linked the administration of blood tests to a biopsy. In a statement from HEiTC Executive Chairman Al B. Sure! and Senior Advisor Rev. Al Sharpton, the Coalition noted the change does not clarify the level of access that Medicare recipients have to life-saving care.

"We appreciate that CMS has taken steps to address the confusion caused by the March 2023 billing article across the country, doctors stopped administering blood tests to patients on Medicare on the grounds that they would no longer be covered. But the CMS revision and statement last week does not clarify whether access to these tests for organ transplant recipients on Medicare is tied to a biopsy. Biopsies are painful, risky, and are often prescribed too late by that point, organ rejection may have already begun. The purpose of these blood tests is to catch a rejection before it happens, which is nearly impossible if they are linked to a biopsy. We pray that is no longer the case, and we urge CMS to publicly clarify to the transplant community, healthcare providers, and all others whether that is the case.

The lack of clarity on this issue continues to put a vulnerable population of overwhelmingly Black and Brown transplant recipients at risk. This is an injustice against those on public health insurance, who rely on it to help with their daily journey toward recovery. They have now been left without a shield for a year as they fight against this bureaucratic confusion. We will not give up on the fight, as we continue to call on CMS to fully restore Medicare coverage for these tests as it works to finalize its coverage policy. A year of confusion shouldn't set the precedent for a lifetime of uncertainty."

The milestone anniversary comes as Al B! and Rev. Sharpton last week applauded BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina for its decision to cover routine cell-free DNA testing for kidney and heart transplant patientswithout any ties to biopsies.

These lifesaving tests are critical to detect possible early signs of organ rejection, even before there are apparent clinical signs or symptoms, and enable medical intervention to protect the transplanted organ.One year ago,Palmetto GBA, a private Medicare Administrative Contractor that runs the MolDX program scaledback coverageof these non-invasivediagnostic tests. Lawmakers from both sides of the aislehaveweighed in. In August, abipartisan letter signed by 14 members of the House of Representativesled by Reps. Anna Eschoo (D-CA) and Dr. Michael Burgess (R-TX), expressing concerns about the March rollbacks was sent to CMS and earlier this year, Congressional Black Caucus Chair Steven Horsford also raised this issuein a letterto CMS and the Department of Health and Human Services.

Organ transplant care is critical for Black, Hispanic and Latino Americans, who together represent 40 percent of transplants in the U.S. well above the 32 percent of the general U.S. population. Additionally, Black Americans rank lowest in graft and patient survival among recipients of solid organ transplants, due in part to higher immunological risk leading to higher rejection rates, making blood tests a critical component of their post-transplant care. Compounding the issue, an astounding 50 percent of those on the 100,000 person transplant waiting list are Black or Hispanic/Latino, making access to transplantation and equitable post-transplant care an important and growing issue in this community.

Press Contact: Rachel Noerdlinger[emailprotected]

SOURCE Health Equity in Transplantation Coalition

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A crowd of more than 1,200 doctors, nurses, hospital workers, and community members joined union members and elected officials to shut down a section of Clarkson Avenue across from SUNY Downstate University Hospital on Thursday to loudly express their support for keeping Downstate open and condemn the Governors plan to close it.

United University Professions (UUP), the nations largest higher education union, hosted the Brooklyn Needs Downstate rally. UUP was joined by other national and statewide labor leaders from the American Federation of Teachers, the New York State AFL-CIO, NYSUT, PEF, and the New York State Nurses Association. The noon rally drew faculty and staff from Downstate, residents, medical students, patients, and community members who gathered in solidarity with UUP to show Governor Hochul why she needs to rethink her plan to close SUNY Downstate Hospital.

A group of Brooklyn faith leaders spoke at the rally, as did several Brooklyn-area state legislators, including Senator Zellnor Myrie, who has loudly opposed the governors plan to close SUNY Downstate Hospital. Speakers noted that decades of neglect and disinvestment by the state have threatened patients access to equitable, high-quality health care services in Brooklyn.

Union leaders are calling for the governor to immediately stop the closure plan and convene an inclusive and deliberative public process in which the community and all other stakeholders are meaningfully engaged. This process should focus on developing a sustainability plan for Downstate that maintains the hospital as a free-standing facility that can provide core specialty services and other critical health care services the Central Brooklyn community needs and deserves. Read more here!

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More than 1200 Frontline Workers and Reverend Al Sharpton Rally With Faith and Union Leaders, Elected Officials at ... - New York City Central Labor...

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Memphis, TN (38111) Today

Cloudy with showers. High 65F. Winds SSE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 60%..

Rain showers in the evening will evolve into a more steady rain overnight. Low 58F. Winds SE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 70%. Rainfall around a quarter of an inch.

Updated: March 7, 2024 @ 3:51 am

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WATCH: Rev. Al Sharpton leads service for Shelby County inmate to die covered in bugs - FOX13 Memphis

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Union members showed up en masse last Thursday to demand that the State University of New York (SUNY) Downstate Hospital stay open, shutting down the block the hospital occupies. Reverend Al Sharpton, founder and president of the National Action Network (NAN), joined them.

I was born and raised in Brownsville and Ive known central Brooklyn all my life, Sharpton said at the rally. We have had a [lack] of medical health places to take care of the needs of our community. Downstate has been one of the few. Now they want to blame the lack of funding on the folks that made little do much. This staff has taken little and kept lives going.

Sharpton said that shutting down Downstate will not be tolerated.

The rally bookmarked the latest back and forth between the community and the state over the supposed closure of the hospital, which has suffered from decades of disinvestment and a projected $100 million deficit in the current state budget. SUNY Downstate is a teaching hospital that serves primarily Medicaid and underinsured patients. Its also where the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) medical device was invented.

Governor Kathy Hochul and SUNY Chancellor John Kings proposed plan involves moving inpatient services across the street to Kings County Hospital, among other things, to alleviate the hospitals financial strain.

After decades of disinvestment at SUNY Downstate, Governor Hochul is the first governor to focus on the healthcare needs of Central Brooklyn, said Hochuls office in a statement. She has committed $400 million to bring high-quality health care to residents in a modernized facility while protecting healthcare jobs. At her direction, SUNY will continue to listen to the voices of residents as it finalizes plans to invest in and revitalize Downstatenot close it.

Several groups and unions dont support the states plan, such as United University Professions (UUP), the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), New York State AFL-CIO, New York State United Teachers (NYSUT), Public Employees Federation (PEF), and New York State Nurses Association (NYSNA).

Five hospitals have closed in Brooklyn since 2003, said UUP.

It is a travesty that we are here again at SUNY Downstate fighting for this hospitals survival. I was there in 2012 and 2013, when Governor Cuomo wanted to privatize it, said PEF President Wayne Spence. Seven years later, he designated it a COVID-only hospital. The healthcare heroes at Downstate helped hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers survive the pandemic. They are amazing public servants, and they deserve better. If the state really wants to transform Downstate, lets work together now, when theres a budget surplus, to fund and staff it, so that anyone who needs quality, affordable health care in Central Brooklyn can get it.

AFT President Randi Weingarten said that shuttering a hospital in a predominantly Black and brown community that also trains healthcare professionals is a slap in the face.

The unions were joined by a group of faith leaders and several elected officials, including Senator Zellnor Myrie and Assemblymember Latrice Walker, who have loudly opposed the states plan.

Brooklyn needs SUNY Downstate, said Walker. It is a vital safety-net hospital that treats everyone who walks through their doors regardless of their ability to pay. Ninety percent of the patients there are on Medicaid, uninsured, or underinsured. Most of them are people of color with limited access to quality health care, which ought to be a basic human right. The failure to save SUNY Downstate will only exacerbate the health disparities that already exist in the Brooklyn neighborhoods served by the hospital. The failure to save SUNY Downstate will decrease life expectancy and send the message that some people in Albany dont care if poor people live or die.

Rev. Kirkpatrick Cohall, senior pastor of Lenox Road Baptist Church, said the proposed changes to SUNY Downstate have created nothing but anxiety and concern from within the hospital system as well as in the community.

Downstate has been on the forefront of fighting for equity and access to the best health care in this city for many years, Cohall in a statement. The COVID pandemic revealed the enormous disparities in our healthcare system and confirmed that those disparities are deeply rooted in racism and discrimination. Consequently, the proposed changes are viewed with great suspicion and concern that vital services, jobs, and economic stability for the residents will be severely diminished. Keeping Downstate open and viable will continue to address the inequities and disparities in our healthcare system. Ariama C. Long is a Report for America corps member who writes about politics for the Amsterdam News. Your donation to match our RFA grant helps keep her writing stories like this one; please consider making a tax-deductible gift of any amount today by visiting https://bit.ly/amnews1.

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