Veronica Park had 'competent' care at Nova Institution prison: lawsuit defence

The Correctional Service of Canada has fired back at allegations made by the family of an inmate who died under the care of Nova Institution, a women's prison in Truro, N.S. 

The family of Veronica Park filed a lawsuit against the federal government and the correctional service in August, alleging negligence and wrongful death after Park died in hospital on April 24, 2015. 

But in a defence filed last month in Nova Scotia Supreme Court, Corrections Canada says Park showed no signs of distress when a check was done on her roughly two hours before she was rushed to hospital.

The defence states Park was given "competent and reasonable health care" at Nova Institution, and that if she suffered any injuries, it was through her own negligence. 

Family's allegations

Park, who was from Corner Brook, N.L., was serving a three-year sentence for robbery and breach of recognizance.

The Park family alleges in their suit that Park had mental health and addictions problems that were inadequately treated. In order to cope with her problems, they allege Park traded pills with other inmates at Nova to crush and inhale. They linked this habit to a vulnerability to lung diseases, and say Park went to the prison's medical clinic seven times in the month before her death. 

The family says when Park visited the clinic on April 23, a nurse recorded symptoms of a sore throat, cough and body ache. The family also says there was a second visit the same day and Park then complained of shortness of breath. She was found the next morning gasping for breath, and taken to hospital where she died that afternoon.

The family says a post-mortem revealed Park died of "acute necrotizing bronchopneumonia," which prison staff failed to notice in time. 

Corrections Canada defence

In its defence, Corrections Canada agrees Park went to the Nova Institution health clinic on April 23 complaining of shortness of breath. It also says nurses found her vital signs were normal and her lungs were clear, but she was given a puffer. 

The correctional service says the next morning Park was seen by guards at 7 a.m. and around 7:10 or 7:15 a.m. She "did not appear in medical distress." 

According to the defence, guards later saw Park in her room at 8:45 a.m. Corrections Canada admits that at that time she was in the condition described by her family: "Veronica's lips and face were white in colour. She was incoherent and unable to stand or sit." 

The defence says that after Park was taken to hospital, medical staff said her condition appeared to be "chemical pneumonitis diffuse," an inflammation of the lungs. 

Inhaled drugs

Corrections Canada says it had no knowledge of Park crushing and inhaling the prescription medications of other inmates. However, it states she had "some challenges with respect to her emotional health, substance abuse, and separation from family." 

The defence also states that Park was suspected of being involved in "the institutional pill trade" within the prison. 

The defence says Corrections Canada "has no knowledge of the post-mortem disclosure that Park's cause of death was acute necrotizing bronchopneumonia, and puts the plaintiffs to the strict proof thereof." 

According to the Park family's lawyer, the information came from a post-mortem report by Nova Scotia's chief medical examiner. 

The Corrections Canada defence says that it provided appropriate mental health care and medical care to Park, and that any damages she suffered were not foreseeable. 

The case will be heard in Truro.