Monroe County Legislature President Yversha Román has issued a letter to her fellow legislators explaining why she hasn't initiated a state directed investigation into the county's jail healthcare provider.
The directive was part of a December 2025 report from the state Commission of Correction on the death of Brian Harmon. The report concluded that Harmon died from sepsis stemming from a urinary obstruction after nine days in the jail, and that his death was preventable. In the aftermath, PrimeCare Medical, the provider, terminated three staff members.
Román wrote that she the report was sent to her gmail account in mid-December and started to review the material in January. The report noted that the commission had follow-up and verification to complete, she wrote, but she has heard nothing further and there was no direction on how an inquiry should be conducted. She noted that she and the Legislature played no part in the decision to renew the contract with PrimeCare, and that she is seeking clarification on how that decision was made. She also is seeking legal guidance on how the Legislature should proceed.
"I believe the Legislature's responsibilities should be carried out through a process grounded in law, appropriate legislative procedure, and sufficient information," Román wrote. "I do not believe it would be responsible to make a determination regarding the fitness of a medical provider without first understanding the Commission's authority, the Legislature's authority, obtaining the relevant information, and allowing for appropriate legal review."
Republican Conference Leader Sean McCabe criticized Román’s actions, writing in a statement that “she made these decisions in a vacuum while the Legislature sat in the dark.” McCabe wrote that Román’s “admissions further raise serious questions about whether the judgment demonstrated throughout this matter is consistent with the leadership this Honorable Body should expect from its president.”
A federal complaint has been filed against PrimeCare, and a number of employees of the Monroe County Sheriff's Office surrounding Harmon's death.
