How an Incarcerated Person Can File a Grievance, Medical Complaint, or ADA Request at Santa Rita Jail

Inside Santa Rita Jail, grievances go through the tablet system. General jail concerns get directed to the Jail Grievance Unit. Medical complaints go to Wellpath (the jail's medical provider) through the same tablet. The key: make sure the message reaches the right place based on what the complaint is actually about.

Medical concerns have their own separate track from grievances. Someone inside the jail should submit medical concerns through in-custody medical request forms. If you're a family member or member of the public raising a medical concern, submit it directly to Wellpath - not through the in-custody request process.

How Get Paper Forms

• ✓ Ask the Housing Unit Deputy for a paper grievance form.
• ✓ Use the paper form if the tablet isn’t available or isn’t working for you.
• ✓ Submit the grievance on paper to the Jail Grievance Unit (for general issues) or to Wellpath (for medical issues).

For health-related problems - symptoms, medication issues, follow-up care - incarcerated people should use the medical request process from inside custody. Family members can send medical concerns directly to Wellpath.

If the issue is access - trouble getting seen, difficulty scheduling an exam, or barriers preventing someone from using the process - the Ombudsperson can help. This is especially useful when the problem isn't the medical issue itself, but the person can't even get their concern heard.

1. Write a clear ADA evaluation request - State that you’re requesting an ADA evaluation and briefly describe what you need help with.
2. Send the request through the tablet - Use the tablet to message the Americans with Disabilities Unit and ask to be evaluated.
3. Or submit a paper request instead - If needed, you can make the same request on a paper form and send it to the Americans with Disabilities Unit.

Want to help from the outside? Your main role is support and follow-through. Encourage your loved one to submit issues the way the jail expects - grievances go through the tablet to the Jail Grievance Unit, medical grievances through the tablet to Wellpath. For medical concerns, incarcerated people should use in-custody medical request forms. Family members and the public can submit directly to Wellpath.

When the problem is access - like not being able to get an exam, not being able to use the process, or not getting responses - the Ombudsperson can assist with helping resolve access concerns. That’s a different lane than arguing about the details of treatment, and it can be a practical way to address “they can’t get seen” or “they can’t get the request through.”

Missing Details Note

• ✓ What’s the best way to contact Wellpath as a member of the public for medical concerns?
• ✓ How long does the Jail Grievance Unit or Wellpath usually take to respond?
• ✓ Is there an appeal step if the grievance response doesn’t resolve the issue?
• ✓ Is there a receipt, reference number, or other way to confirm a grievance or request was received?
• ✓ For ADA requests, what follow-up should the person expect after asking the Americans with Disabilities Unit to evaluate them?