Philly to roll out health monitoring bracelets to prevent medical emergencies — and deaths — at city prisons

In an effort to prevent medical emergencies — and deaths — in Philadelphia prisons, the city is rolling out bracelets that monitor incarcerated people’s health in real time, potentially preventing health crises from conditions such as drug overdoses.

The bracelets, to be worn on the wrists or ankles, will be distributed to women incarcerated at the Philadelphia Industrial Correctional Center later this month in a pilot program expected to expand to other facilities, Prisons Commissioner Michael Resnick said.

The bracelets will monitor people’s vital signs and alert prison staff of emergencies that include drug withdrawal, suicide attempts, or overdoses, he said. They have sensors that monitor heart rate, respiration rate, oxygen levels, and physical movement.

Initially, the bracelets will be provided to people entering the prison and will be worn for five days, the period when people are most at risk of health crises from withdrawal from drugs or other health issues from living on the street. After that, medical staff will determine if they need to wear them longer.

If someone is in medical distress, the bracelets automatically trigger alarms that are sent to staff.

Resnick said the bracelets would be a tool to help provide medical care to people as quickly as possible.

“What I am trying to do with this is to ensure that when somebody has a medical incident, a medical emergency, we respond almost instantaneously,” he said.

The bracelets are a response to instances over the years in which incarcerated people have died inside Philadelphia prisons, sometimes due to what advocates see as preventable health issues.

Last month, 42-year-old Andrew Drury, who had struggled with addiction, died inside Curran-Fromhold Correctional Facility just days after he was arrested in Kensington, officials said.

According to records from the Department of Prisons, Drury had been flagged as an “emergency” case by an intake worker at the jail and should have had supervision in the hours before he collapsed.

He ultimately died alone inside a holding cell without a formal behavioral health evaluation by prison staff, records show.

Drury was found collapsed inside the prison intake room by officers who administered two doses of Narcan, among other lifesaving measures, but he did not regain consciousness. His death remains under investigation.

His death followed that of Amanda Cahill, who died inside a cell at PICC in September, days after she was arrested in Kensington on drug charges and open warrants. The Philadelphia Medical Examiner’s Office ruled that she died of drug intoxication.

Tom Innes, director of prison policy for the Defender Association of Philadelphia, welcomed the bracelets as a way to summon needed medical help quickly.

“These bracelets are — in a way — having a doctor on your wrist," he said.