Editor’s note: The video above about Monroe Correctional Complex inmates receiving outdated COVID-19 vaccines was originally published in May 2021.
MONROE, Wash. - A disciplinary panel has upheld a decision to indefinitely suspend the license of a former medical director at the Monroe prison.
Julia Barnett was fired in 2019 from her position as medical director of Monroe Correctional Complex following an investigation by the state Department of Corrections.
The investigation found she provided insufficient medical care for at least six patients at the prison. Barnett’s attorney D. Jeffrey Burnham declined to comment Tuesday.
The Washington Medical Commission had suspended Barnett in November, but she appealed.
A separate panel heard evidence in January and February before finding the indefinite suspension was warranted.
The Monroe Correctional Complex has recently come under scrutiny for issues related to the COVID-19 pandemic as well.
In early May, the Department of Corrections reported the prison had given roughly 208 prisoners COVID vaccines that were past their "beyond use" date.
The state said that, according to the vaccine manufacturer Moderna, those dosed were still effective in protecting the incarcerated individuals against COVID-19.
