Washington – A Tacoma woman with tuberculosis was arrested on Thursday for refusing to comply with a court order to resume taking medication or isolate.
According to KOMO News, the woman, who has not been identified, has been avoiding treatment or isolation for TB for more than a year.
The woman, who was under an involuntary order to take medication for TB, didn’t finish her treatment.
The health department was granted numerous court orders over the last year in an effort to get the woman to receive treatment.
A court hearing on this matter took place in early March.
The woman was arrested on Thursday and housed in a negative pressure room specifically designed for isolation and treatment.
“Law enforcement transported this patient to the Pierce County Jail. She will be housed in a room specially equipped for isolation, testing and treatment. We are hopeful she will choose to get the life-saving treatment she needs to treat her tuberculosis. Thank you to the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department and the deputies who supported public health with this necessary intervention.” The Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department said in a statement.
KOMO reported:
A Tacoma woman who has been avoiding treatment and isolation for tuberculosis (TB) for more than a year has been arrested so she can receive medical treatment in jail.
Pierce County sheriff deputies located and detained the woman at her home in Tacoma Thursday, according to the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department (PCSD). The arrest comes after a judge issued a 17th order in May for the woman to be involuntarily detained for treatment.
“We initially tried to look for her, but we were unable to find her, we believe she was trying to avoid being captured,” said Sgt. Darren Moss, with PCSD.
The woman was booked into a negative pressure room in the Pierce County jail Thursday where she will get treatment for TB.