Adams County, Colorado, health officials have confirmed one case of active tuberculosis at an Aurora immigration detention center, but health officials said Tuesday the company that runs the facility has failed to provide the legally required access needed to complete the investigation and determine if there are additional cases.
ICE denies any active cases as of Tuesday at the facility operated by the GEO Group, a private Florida-based detention provider, as well as violating any laws or guidelines.
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The Guardian reported Tuesday that at least a dozen people inside the facility had contracted tuberculosis, or TB, and that dozens more had been placed in quarantine. Adams County Health Department spokesperson Jennifer Lucero-Alvarez said the department is aware of media reports about additional cases, but has not yet been able to verify those reports.
“As of today, GEO has not provided all of the information or access necessary for ACHD and Denver Health Tuberculosis Clinic to complete the public health investigation,” Lucero-Alvarez said in a statement to the Scripps News Group on Tuesday.
A spokesperson for ICE said in a statement that as of Tuesday, “Aurora does not have any confirmed active tuberculosis (TB) cases.”
ICE had not responded by the time of publication to questions about what had happened to the person who health officials said had a laboratory-confirmed case, and it’s not clear when that case was confirmed by health officials. The Scripps News Group is working to learn more.
TB is an airborne and potentially fatal disease that can cause severe lung damage and can spread to other organs, according to health officials. It is curable with treatment, but “may result in permanent disability or death” if left untreated, health officials said in the release.
“Prompt identification of exposed individuals is critical to preventing additional illness,” officials said in the release.
Other detainees, staff, contractors, visitors and people who have since left the facility may have been exposed, officials said.
Public health officials are required by state law to investigate cases of active TB, determine whether others have been exposed and take steps to prevent additional illness, according to an ACHD release. Facilities are also required to notify public health officials when they become aware of active tuberculosis, the release states.
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Health department officials said Tuesday they had not received communication from the facility confirming additional cases.
“Determining whether additional cases exist is one of the reasons ACHD has sought timely access to information and records needed to complete the public health investigation,” Lucero-Alvarez said in the statement.
Health officials say they’ve requested access to the patient, medical records, housing and movement information, and additional records needed to identify others who may have been exposed, but that the facility has failed to provide voluntary access.
As a result, the department issued a public health order June 25 “requiring compliance with Colorado public health laws governing tuberculosis investigations,” the Tuesday release said.
“ACHD continues to seek the information and access necessary to complete this legally required public health investigation,” Dr. Kelly Weidenbach, ACHD’s executive director, said in a Tuesday statement.
The ICE spokesperson said the facility “has complied with all federal CDC guidelines and policies on communicable disease, as well as with Colorado law, guidelines, and policies on the same.”
The Scripps News Group also reached out GEO Group, which referred us to ICE.
GEO Group said in a previous statement that the center “provides high quality support services in compliance with ICEs Performance-Based National Detention Standards (PBNDS) and other contractual requirements required by the Federal Government.”
“The support services provided at the Center include around-the-clock access to medical care,” the statement said. “Detainees at the Center are provided with access to teams of medical professionals including physicians, nurses, dentists, psychologists, and psychiatrists.”
This is at least the second time Adams County health officials have said GEO Group blocked access to patients and staff during an investigation. A March report from ACHD said health officials faced blocked staff interviews, delayed patient access, and unreturned test kits while investigating reports of widespread illness at the facility.
GEO Group is currently suing the state over a new law allowing unannounced health and safety inspections inside immigrant detention facilities every three months.
It’s not clear how many people are detained at the facility, but GEO Group’s website lists capacity for the center at 1,532.
This article was originally published by Kaylee Harter for the Scripps News Group station in Denver.