A
A HISTORY
A HISTORY OF DISCIPLINE FOR UNETHICAL
BEHAVIOR AND QUESTIONABLE
MEDICAL CARE . THOSE ARE SOME
OF THE ALLEGATIONS AGAINST
THE DOCTOR BEHIND MINNESOTA'S
LARGEST JAIL
LARGEST JAIL HEALTH CARE PROVIDER AJLA GO HAS
THE LATEST CHAPTER IN OUR
ONGOING KARE11 INVESTIGATION.
CRUEL AND UNUSUAL
>> ASSESMENT HARDEL
SCHARA PROTESTS IN THE STREET
DAYS AFTER HIS DEATH OVER BODIES
IN THE GROUND SHUTTING DOWN AN
FBI
FBI
FBI >>
FBI >> INVESTIGATION INTO DENIED
MEDICAL CARE AND A GROWING STACK
OF WRONGFUL DEATH LAWSUITS
IN FEDERAL COURT SARTELL
MINNESOTA BASED MENARD
CORRECTIONAL CARE , THE LARGEST
JAIL HEALTH CARE PROVIDER IN THE
STATE , IS A SHIP AT THE CENTER
OF A GROWING STORM
>>. AND MAN, NOW WE WANTED
TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE MAN AT
THE HELM AND YOU STATE YOUR
>> FULL NAME FOR THE RECORD
PLAYER TODD ARTHUR LEONARD.
DOCTOR
DOCTOR
DOCTOR >>
DOCTOR >> LEONARD OWENS MEANT HE HIRES
NURSES AND TAX BUT WITH CONTRACT
TO PROVIDE MEDICAL CARE AT MORE
THAN 30 JAILS. HE'S BEEN ON ANY
GIVEN DAY THE ONLY DOCTOR
RESPONSIBLE FOR ROUGHLY 27
HUNDRED INMATES
HUNDRED INMATES >>. I AM THE PHYSICIAN WHO IS
IN THAT GROUP. YEAH, THE ONLY
ONE IN MINNESOTA. I'M THE ONLY
PHYSICIAN OVER
PHYSICIAN OVER >> THE LAST DECADE, MINNESOTA
TAXPAYERS HAVE PAID HIS COMPANY
NEARLY 52 MILLION DOLLARS. DR.
LEONARD HAS TURNED DOWN NUMEROUS
INTERVIEW REQUESTS. SO THIS
REPORT IS BASED ON KARE11 REVIEW
OF THOUSANDS OF PAGES OF COURT
AND MEDICAL RECORDS, PUBLIC
CONTRACTS AND DISCIPLINARY
FINDINGS ALONG WITH HOURS
OF VIDEOTAPED DEPOSITIONS
IN INTERVIEWS WITH ATTORNEYS,
MEDICAL EXPERTS AND FAMILIES
OF INMATES WHO DIED UNDER DR.
LEONARD AND MEN'S WATCH.
>> THEY REFUSED TO GIVE MEDICAL
CARE . THAT'S WHY IS THERE NO
DR.
DR.
DR. >>
DR. >> LEONARD PITTS TO COUNTIES IS
HE CAN SAVE THEM MONEY ON THEIR
JAIL HEALTH CARE BRAGGING ON HIS
WEBSITE OF MILLIONS OF DOLLARS
IN COST SAVINGS. BUT CRITICS
LIKE ATTORNEY ZORISLAV LEYDERMAN
CONTEND THOSE SAVINGS
>> COME AT A COST PEOPLE THAT
SHOULD BE LEAVING THE JAIL
AND THE SAME CONDITIONS.
ACKERMAN AND INSTEAD OF THAT,
THEY'RE THEY'RE DYING SINCE
>> 2015 KARE11 HAS IDENTIFIED 25
JAIL DEATHS. WHERE MEANED WAS
THE HEALTH CARE PROVIDER? MENZ
WEBSITE ALSO STATES THERE
A MENTAL HEALTH CARE PROVIDER
WITH A PSYCHIATRIC TEAM. BUT DR.
LEONARD WALKED BACK THAT CLAIM
IN A DEPOSITION LAST YEAR
>>. THERE IS NO PSYCHIATRIST, IS
THERE? YEAH, I DON'T KNOW IF
I WOULD TO USE THE WORD
PSYCHIATRIC, BUT I MEAN, DID
>> SOMEBODY FROM ITEAM WROTE
THAT WORD
THAT WORD
THAT WORD >> DR. LEONARD REGULARLY
DESCRIBES MEMBERS OF HIS TEAM AS
QUALIFIED MENTAL
QUALIFIED MENTAL HEALTH PROFESSIONALS, A CLAIM
SOME OF THOSE VERY SAME
PEOPLE HAVE DENIED UNDER OATH.
CRYSTAL WAAGMEESTER IS NOT
A QUALIFIED MENTAL
HEALTH PROFESSIONAL. I BELIEVE
SHE IS DEFINITELY QUALIFIED TO A
HEALTH PROFESSIONAL RIGHT.
PHYSICIAN ASSISTANT, NOT
A MENTAL HEALTH PROFESSIONAL
>> IN A NUMBER OF LAWSUITS LIKE
THE ONE BROUGHT BY THE FAMILY
OF JAMES LINUS MEANED IS ACCUSED
OF NOT TAKING THE RISK
OF SUICIDE SERIOUSLY ENOUGH.
>> HE NEVER PHYSICALLY SEEN
A DOCTOR
A DOCTOR
A DOCTOR >> MEANED USES THIS SUICIDE RISK
SCREENING FORM USUALLY
ADMINISTERED BY NURSES. IF AN
INMATE SCORES OVER 36 ON THE
FORM, INTERVENTION IS REQUIRED
FROM A HIGHER LEVEL MEDICAL
PROVIDER.
PROVIDER.
PROVIDER. >> SO IS IT THE FORM THE MEN
DEVELOPED ITSELF? I DON'T
REMEMBER THE SPECIFICS OF ITS
ORIGIN.
ORIGIN.
ORIGIN. >> FORM IS COPYRIGHTED BY MEANED
.DR. LEONARD ALSO CAN'T EXPLAIN
HOW 36 BECAME THE MAGIC NUMBER
IN INMATE NEEDS TO RECEIVE
INTERVENTION
INTERVENTION >>. WHY 36
>>? I DON'T REMEMBER
THE SPECIFICS OF THAT
CONVERSATION
CONVERSATION >>. BOB BENNETT IS THE ATTORNEY
DOING THE DEPOSITION. HE'S WON
ONE CASE AND HAS SEVERAL ACTIVE
LAWSUITS AGAINST MEN. THEY'RE
BASICALLY FICTITIOUS FORMS
THAT WE'RE ALL SUPPOSED
TO BELIEVE MEAN SOMETHING
AND THE SCORING'S
SOME ADMITTEDLY IS NOT RELATED
TO THE ACTUAL RISK OF SUICIDAL
BY ANY MEDICALLY VALIDATED
ORGANIZATION MEANS A FEDERAL
JUDGE IN THE LAW IN THIS CASE
RECENTLY WROTE THE FORMS MAY
HAVE ARBITRARY THRESHOLDS AT
BELTRAMI COUNTY
BELTRAMI COUNTY >> JAIL. THERE'S AN ONGOING
LAWSUIT BROUGHT BY BENNETT
ACCUSING MEANED OF TRYING
TO COVER UP AFTER A 2017 SUICIDE
DEATH. IT ALLEGES THAT AFTER
STEPHANIE BUNKER HUNG HERSELF
A MAHNOMEN NURSE CHANGED ANSWERS
ON HER SUICIDE RISK FOR LOWERING
HER SCORE FROM 36 TO TWENTY
EIGHT. EXISTING
EIGHT. EXISTING >> RECORDS WERE CHANGED AFTER
SHE DIED. YES, FFROM YOU NEED
TO GO SEE A DOCTOR TOO. YOU
DON'T NEED TO GO SEE A DOCTOR.
IN COURT FILINGS, MEANED HAS
DENIED COVER UP AND OVERALL
RESPONSIBILITY FOR STEPHANIE'S
DEATH. AS KARE11 DUG INTO DR.
LEONARD'S BACKGROUND, WE FOUND
A HISTORY OF UNETHICAL BEHAVIOR
THAT NOT ALL OF THE SHERIFF'S
HE WORKS FOR KNEW ABOUT. WERE
>> YOU AND THE COUNTY AWARE
OF DR. LEONARD'S HISTORY?
I CERTAINLY WAS NOT ALMSTEAD
>> COUNTY SHERIFF
KEVIN TORGERSON HAS A CONTRACT
WITH MEN TO PROVIDE
HEALTH CARE TO HIS JAIL. WHEN
DR. LEONARD BID ON THAT
CONTRACT, HE WAS ASKED A SERIES
OF QUESTIONS INCLUDING HAVE ANY
CURRENT STAFF EVER HAD THEIR
LICENSE SUSPENDED, REVOKED OR
PUT ON CONDITIONAL STATUS? DR.
LEONARD ANSWERED, I'M PLEASED
TO SHARE THAT OUR STAFF HAVE
NEVER HAD ANY OF THOSE
DISCIPLINARY SITUATIONS DEVELOP
WHILE PERFORMING THEIR DUTIES
AND SERVICES FOR OUR COMPANY.
WHAT DR. LEONARD DIDN'T DISCLOSE
IS FROM 2011 TO 2013 HIS OWN
LICENSE WAS RESTRICTED
AND CONDITIONED BY THE MINNESOTA
BOARD OF MEDICAL PRACTICE BASED
UPON HIS UNETHICAL
AND UNPROFESSIONAL CONDUCT
FAILURE TO MAINTAIN ADEQUATE
MEDICAL RECORDS
MEDICAL RECORDS AND INAPPROPRIATE PRESCRIBING
PRACTICES. DO YOU
>> BELIEVE THIS TO BE A MATERIAL
MISREPRESENTATION ON THIS
TPUBLIC CONTRACT?
TPUBLIC CONTRACT? >> THINK IT CERTAINLY DRAWS IT
INTO QUESTION.
INTO QUESTION. >> IN AN EMAIL TO KARE11, DR.
LEONARD STATED HE ASSUMED
THAT THE QUESTION APPLIED ONLY
TO STAFF WORKING ON A DAILY
AND DIRECT BASIS WITH OLMSTEAD
COUNTY AND IS THUS ACCURATE.
THE CONTRACT DOCUMENTS LIST DR.
LEONARD AS OLMSTED'S MEDICAL
DIRECTOR AND ONLY DOCTOR. IT DID
NOT TELL THE TRUTH. DON'T
TELL IT AT ALL. THEN ALLEGATIONS
OF NEGLECTFUL CARE LEADING
TO THE UNNECESSARY DEATH
OF HARDEL CHERYL HAVE DR.
LEONARD RIGHT BACK WHERE HE WAS
A DECADE AGO UNDER INVESTIGATION
BY THE BOARD OF MEDICAL PRACTICE
WHERE PROTESTERS GATHERED OVER
THE SUMMER CALLING
>> FOR THIS SPIN DOCTOR PAT
LEONARD. NOW FOR KARE11
INVESTIGATE A MAJOR LAGOE
>> IN A STATEMENT, KARE11 MEN
SAYS OVER THE LAST DECADE
WE HAVE PROVIDED QUALITY MEDICAL
CARE TO THOUSANDS OF INDIVIDUALS
IN CORRECTIONAL FACILITIES
ACROSS THE UPPER MIDWEST. OVER
THIS TIME WE FEEL THAT WE HAVE
MADE A TREMENDOUSLY POSITIVE
IMPACT ON OUR INDIVIDUAL
PATIENTS AND OUR