WA state prisoner receives liver transplant

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Friday,

April 6, 2007

WA state prisoner receives liver

transplant

SEATTLE -- An inmate jailed at a state prison for drug convictions was

recovering Friday after receiving a liver transplant in Seattle, the Department of Corrections said.

The department did not release

the name of the 55-year-old inmate from the Correctional Complex in Monroe, citing privacy laws.

The man underwent transplant

surgery March 25 at the University of Washington Medical Center in Seattle. He'd

been awaiting a liver for about two years, said Jeff Weathersby,

a spokesman for the department.

" This is the first time

there's been a liver transplant " among state inmates, Weathersby

said. There have been two previous bone marrow

transplants, in 2000 and 2001.

The man was jailed in 2000 on

convictions for drug manufacturing, possession and delivery and jumping bail, Weathersby said.

He met all necessary physical

and mental criteria to be placed on the transplant list, the department said.

The

Corrections Department " is constitutionally required to give medically

necessary care to preserve life, " Weathersby

said. " There's nothing that prevents prison

inmates from participating in transplant programs. "

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