PENNSYLVANIA Prison nurses protest cutbacks

Nurses at the state prison in Mercer took part in the protest.
STAFF/WIRE REPORTS
PITTSBURGH -- Nurses who care for some of the state's toughest patients say that though the entire nursing profession is facing a crisis, it's even tougher on the inside.
Prison nurses marched in front of more than a dozen correctional facilities across the state Wednesday to protest staffing levels that they say are at risk of becoming dangerously low.
The Pennsylvania Department of Corrections is reducing staff levels in several categories, nurses included, through attrition, spokeswoman Susan MacNaughton said.
About $1.3 billion has been proposed for the next fiscal year for state prisons, a sum Corrections Secretary Jeffrey Beard called a "very modest budget."
The Service Employees International Union, which represents about 386 prison nurses, maintains that reducing the number of registered nurses when the inmate population is at an all-time high puts both prisoners and prison staff in danger.
State response
Prison officials insist that there is no danger to inmates or prison staff.
"We are cautious and concerned about the staff and would not put them in jeopardy in any way," MacNaughton said. "Unfortunately, the budget situation is playing a role in this and everyone is being asked to find places to save."
The state's fiscal year ends June 30, the same day that the SEIU contract with the state expires, said Kim Patterson, vice president of SEIU District 1199.
The average age of nurses working in prison is 47, three years older than those working in private hospitals, she said.
Nurses protesting Wednesday said that it is difficult to feel safe when they are repeatedly working mandatory overtime.
"I am concerned with giving proper medical care, but my health is at risk too," said Mike Mondich, 57, of Farrell, who has worked at the State Regional Correctional Facility at Mercer for four years. "We work with prisoners and we have to be on our toes."
Theresa Warner, 43, who has worked at SCI-Pittsburgh for 11 years, said there are also health issues at stake outside prison walls.
"A lot of these guys are not doing life and they are going to be paroled," Warner said. "We treat inmates with HIV, hepatitis C and other diseases. If they are not receiving the proper treatment, it's going to be a safety issue for the communities where they are released."
MacNaughton, the spokeswoman for the DOC, said the department is doing the best it can with tight budget restrictions.