Get Bernardo Coles Medication, Food & Medical Care Now. - UPROAR

🚨 Current Emergency: A Mobility Dispute Is Blocking Access to Medication and Food

Bernardo Coles Reports an Urgent Medical Crisis

Bernardo says he is 67 years old and diabetic, with a history of a failed leg stent, dry gangrene in his right foot or toe, and bypass surgery. On August 10, he reported that his right foot remained swollen and painful and that four toenails had come off in roughly the previous week.

Bernardo and his family separately report that his wheelchair was removed on August 3 and that he was not provided a cane, walker, rehabilitation, or another mobility device. Bernardo says he can walk some distance, but not far enough to reach all medication passes or chow.

By August 10, Bernardo said he had missed medication for two days. His family says at least one missed medication episode was characterized as a “refusal.” Bernardo’s account is different: he says he wanted the medication but could not physically reach the required location.

He also reported that he had received no food that day because staff expected him to walk to chow.

Aug. 3Wheelchair reportedly removed.

4Toenails reportedly lost in about one week.

2 daysMedication reportedly missed by Aug. 10.

#02619Emergency grievance reported by family.

🎧 Listen to Bernardo’s Full Recorded Call

Hear Bernardo Coles describe his medical condition, the removal of his wheelchair, his difficulty reaching medication and chow, his written complaints and emergency grievance, and his allegations concerning medical staff at Keen Mountain Correctional Center.

This is Bernardo’s full August 10, 2026 recorded call. During the conversation, Bernardo expressly agreed that advocates could share his story publicly in order to seek help.

Open Bernardo’s full recorded call

What Bernardo discusses in the call

Medical history: a prior stent, bypass surgery, and dry gangrene in his right toe.
Wheelchair removal: approximately six to seven months of wheelchair use before it was taken on August 3.
Mobility: Bernardo says he received no rehabilitation, cane, walker, or other replacement mobility aid.
Foot condition: swelling and four toenails coming off within about a week.
Medication access: Bernardo says he was being denied medication when he could not make the required trip upstairs.
Nurse Bennett: Bernardo describes an earlier wound-care incident and says Bennett later used other incarcerated people to relay a medication-access ultimatum.
Nurse Practitioner Ball: Bernardo says Ball was the person who took his wheelchair.
Complaints and grievance: Bernardo says he filed three written complaints and one emergency grievance.
Food access: “I can’t go to chow, so if I don’t go to chow, I can’t eat.”
Mobility dispute: “They said that I could walk.” Bernardo responds: “I can walk, but I can’t walk that far.”
Health and age: Bernardo says he is diabetic and 67 years old.

What Bernardo reports

📌 The Sequence

Earlier vascular crisis

Bernardo reports a failed stent, dry gangrene affecting his right foot or toe, months without adequate treatment, and eventual bypass surgery at Clinch Valley Medical Center. The two August 10 accounts differ on the exact surgery month, so the campaign does not state an exact operative date.

August 3: Wheelchair removed

Bernardo and his family say his wheelchair was removed. Bernardo identifies Nurse Practitioner Deborah Ball as the practitioner he understands to have discontinued it or communicated that he had no restrictions, while acknowledging that he does not know every part of that decision firsthand.

August 7: Medication dispute

Bernardo’s family says she learned he could not obtain medication because he could not make the required walk. She reports emergency grievance #02619, dated August 7 and signed by Officer D. Williams.

August 10: Continuing symptoms and missed medication

Bernardo reported a swollen, painful foot, four recent toenail losses, and two days without some prescribed medication. He says Nurse Bennett required him to come to the medication location despite his mobility limitation.

August 10: No food reported that day

Bernardo said he could not walk far enough to chow and had not been fed that day because staff considered him capable of walking there.

Retaliation allegation

Bernardo alleges that Nurse Bennett has treated him vindictively and connects that treatment to an older syringe-theft incident involving another nurse. He also describes an earlier wound-care encounter in which Bennett allegedly caused bleeding and pain while removing a dressing and then struck or “smacked” his foot. These allegations require investigation and are not presented as established findings.

Campaign demands

What We Are Demanding

Immediate medication access. Provide every prescribed medication through a route Bernardo can physically access.
Immediate food access. Ensure Bernardo receives every meal while his mobility is medically disputed.
Urgent medical evaluation. Reassess his swollen and painful right foot, recent toenail loss, diabetes, vascular history, prior gangrene, and post-bypass condition.
Appropriate mobility support. Reevaluate the August 3 wheelchair discontinuation and provide a wheelchair, cane, walker, crutch, rehabilitation, or other aid as medically indicated.
Accurate medication documentation. Do not record inability to reach medication pass as a voluntary refusal without documenting what Bernardo actually said and what accessible alternatives were offered.
Evidence preservation. Preserve medication administration records, refusal forms, mobility orders, wheelchair records, medical notes, grievance #02619, written complaints, meal records, staff notes, and relevant video.
Investigate misconduct and retaliation. Review Bernardo’s allegations concerning Nurse Bennett and protect him from retaliation for grievances, family advocacy, or outside organizing.
Confirm action in writing. VADOC should confirm that medical, mobility, medication, meal, preservation, and anti-retaliation steps have been initiated.

Pressure map

☎️ Call the People Closest to the Decision Chain

Why these names? The August 3, 2026 State Employee Directory scrape confirms current VADOC/Keen Mountain presence for the facility personnel below. The directory itself has no job-title field; titles are drawn from the newest title-bearing state snapshot (primarily February 25, 2026) and are labeled accordingly. The facility number below functions as a switchboard for many KMCC employees.

1. Arvil Whited — Senior Registered Nurse Supervisor, Keen Mountain current KMCC presence
📞 (276) 498-7411
Ask specifically for Arvil Whited / the Senior RN Supervisor. Demand immediate medication access, urgent assessment, mobility review, and preservation of medical records.
We are intentionally not publishing the directory email associated with this record because the email uses the name “Eugene,” creating an unresolved identity/contact mismatch.

2. Rachel Harmon — Registered Nurse Supervisor, Keen Mountain current KMCC presence
📞 (276) 498-7411 · ✉️ rachel.harmon@vadoc.virginia.gov
Bernardo’s family separately reported trying to reach a “Nurse Harmon/Harman” on August 7. The identification is strongly consistent but not formally proven.

3. Israel Hamilton — Warden, Keen Mountain current KMCC presence
📞 (276) 498-7411 · ✉️ israel.hamilton@vadoc.virginia.gov
Demand facility-wide action on medication, meals, mobility, preservation, and anti-retaliation.

4. Jonathan Harrison — Institutional Operations Manager current KMCC presence
📞 (276) 498-7411 · ✉️ jonathan.harrison@vadoc.virginia.gov
Relevant to the operational side of medication pass, movement, and chow access.

5. Shawn Owens — Assistant Warden current KMCC presence
📞 (276) 498-7411 · ✉️ shawn.owens@vadoc.virginia.gov

6. Stephen Herrick — Deputy Director, Health Services current VADOC presence
📞 (804) 887-8118 · ✉️ steve.herrick@vadoc.virginia.gov
Request an immediate central Health Services review.

7. Rachel Provau — Chief Nurse, Institutions current VADOC presence
📞 (804) 955-7347 · ✉️ rachel.provau@vadoc.virginia.gov
Escalate unresolved facility nursing and medication-access concerns.

8. Barry Marano — Statewide ADA Coordinator current VADOC presence
📞 (804) 598-4251 · ✉️ barry.marano@vadoc.virginia.gov
Request review of mobility support and accessible medication / meal access.

9. Carl Beckett — Deputy Director for OLES / Chief of LES current Central Administration presence
✉️ carl.beckett@vadoc.virginia.gov
Use for retaliation, staff-misconduct, inaccurate “refusal” documentation, and evidence-preservation concerns.

Step 1

📞 Call Keen Mountain

Call Keen Mountain for Bernardo Coles

Call (276) 498-7411. Ask first for Arvil Whited or Rachel Harmon. If they are unavailable, ask for the Warden’s office.

Hello, my name is [NAME]. I’m calling about Bernardo Coles, VADOC #1080887. Mr. Coles reports that his wheelchair was removed on August 3 without a cane, walker, rehabilitation, or another mobility aid. He is 67, diabetic, and reports serious vascular disease, prior gangrene and bypass surgery, a swollen and painful right foot, and four toenails coming off in roughly the past week. He says he has missed prescribed medication because he cannot make the required walk to medication pass, and on August 10 he reported that he had not been fed because he could not walk far enough to reach chow. I am asking Keen Mountain to act immediately: 1. Make every prescribed medication accessible to Mr. Coles. 2. Make sure he receives every meal. 3. Urgently reassess his right foot, vascular condition, pain, and diabetes. 4. Reassess the August 3 wheelchair removal and provide appropriate mobility support. 5. Preserve medication records, refusal forms, medical and mobility orders, grievance #02619, meal records, written complaints, and relevant video. 6. Protect Mr. Coles from retaliation for grievances, family advocacy, and outside organizing. Please document this call and escalate it to nursing leadership and the Warden’s office today.

Step 2

🩺 Escalate to Health Services & ADA

Stephen Herrick — Health Services

(804) 887-8118 · steve.herrick@vadoc.virginia.gov

I’m calling about Bernardo Coles, VADOC #1080887, at Keen Mountain. He reports diabetes, serious vascular disease, prior gangrene and bypass surgery, a swollen painful foot, recent toenail loss, and major difficulty walking after his wheelchair was removed August 3. He says medication and food became inaccessible because staff require him to walk farther than he can safely manage. Please initiate an immediate central Health Services review, confirm that he is receiving every prescribed medication and meal, arrange urgent assessment of his foot and vascular status, and review the medical basis for removing his wheelchair without another mobility aid.

Barry Marano — Statewide ADA Coordinator

(804) 598-4251 · barry.marano@vadoc.virginia.gov

I’m calling about Bernardo Coles, VADOC #1080887, at Keen Mountain. His wheelchair was reportedly removed August 3. He says he was given no cane, walker, rehabilitation, or other mobility support, and he now cannot reliably reach medication pass or chow. Please review immediately whether he requires a mobility device, accessible medication delivery, accessible meal delivery, or another accommodation while his walking capacity is medically disputed.

Step 3

✉️ Send the One-Click Email

The button opens a pre-filled email. Personalize the first or last sentence if you can.

Email recipients

rachel.harmon@vadoc.virginia.gov,israel.hamilton@vadoc.virginia.gov,jonathan.harrison@vadoc.virginia.gov,shawn.owens@vadoc.virginia.gov,steve.herrick@vadoc.virginia.gov,rachel.provau@vadoc.virginia.gov,barry.marano@vadoc.virginia.gov,carl.beckett@vadoc.virginia.gov

Subject

Urgent Medical Access: Bernardo Coles #1080887 — Medication, Food, Mobility and Foot Care

Email body

Dear VADOC and Keen Mountain officials, I am writing with urgent concern for Bernardo Coles, VADOC #1080887, at Keen Mountain Correctional Center. Mr. Coles reports that he is 67 years old and diabetic and has a serious vascular history involving a failed leg stent, dry gangrene in his right foot or toe, and bypass surgery. Mr. Coles and his family separately report that his wheelchair was removed on August 3, 2026. They say he was not provided a cane, walker, rehabilitation, or another mobility aid. Mr. Coles reports that his right foot is swollen and painful and that four toenails came off in roughly the previous week. After the wheelchair was removed, Mr. Coles says staff began requiring him to travel to medication distribution despite his mobility problems. He reports that he missed medication for two days because he could not make the required walk. His family says a correctional officer characterized at least one episode as Mr. Coles “refusing” medication. Mr. Coles’ account is different: he says he wanted the medication but could not physically reach the required location. Mr. Coles also reported on August 10 that he could not walk far enough to reach chow and had not been fed that day. His family reports that he filed emergency grievance #02619 on August 7. Mr. Coles reports filing three written complaints and an emergency grievance. I am asking VADOC to act immediately: 1. Ensure Mr. Coles receives every prescribed medication through an accessible process. 2. Ensure he receives every meal while his mobility is medically disputed. 3. Urgently evaluate his swollen and painful right foot, recent toenail loss, diabetes, vascular history, prior gangrene, and post-bypass condition. 4. Reassess the August 3 wheelchair discontinuation and provide an appropriate mobility aid, rehabilitation, or other accommodation as medically indicated. 5. Preserve medication administration records, refusal forms, wheelchair and mobility orders, medical notes, grievance #02619, August written complaints, meal records, staff notes, and relevant video. 6. Investigate his allegations of retaliatory treatment and protect him from retaliation for grievances, family advocacy, or outside organizing. 7. Confirm in writing that these steps have been initiated. A person who wants prescribed medication but cannot physically reach medication pass should not simply be recorded as refusing care. Please treat this as urgent. Sincerely, [NAME] [CITY / STATE, optional]

Step 4

✅ What Actions Did You Take?

This encrypted UPROAR form tracks calls and emails so follow-up pressure can be coordinated. You can submit anonymously.

Source Note

Case facts: the page is based on recorded August 10, 2026 statements from Bernardo and a family member. Where institutional or medical records have not yet been obtained, the page says “reports,” “says,” or otherwise attributes the claim.