From the people I have spoken with involved in the U.S. prison systems, I truly believe that the staff, as well as the inmates, work harder to prevent infections than they do in our hospitals and medical facilities - well, some of them anyway, I would be remiss to make those broad assumptions about all hospitals. I get emails nearly weekly from prison officials looking for information to learn themselves and to teach their residents, which tells me that they care and that they are really concerned and are really trying hard to beat this tough bacteria. Read about what the staff at this facility, in Columbus, Indiana are doing to try to prevent its spread:
Inita Sweet, jail nurse, said staph infections are hard to prevent. “It happens in hospitals and nursing homes too,†Sweet said. “Some people are clean and cautious, and others are not. And they are so tight in here, it’s hard to control.â€Â
Sweet said as soon as she discovers an infection, she immediately puts the inmate on antibiotics and asks that they keep the infection covered with bandages. “When it drains, it’s really contagious,†she said. “A lot of guys come in off the street with the infection. If I can catch them, I try to isolate them until it starts to dry up.â€Â
Sweet said the number of outbreaks is down from a year ago. As of Friday, Sweet said there were no inmates with staph infections. She said there were 10 cases a year ago, six in March and three in May. “It seems to come in waves,†Sweet said. “I will get everybody treated, and then it comes back, but right now we don’t have anyone. I can live with that.â€Â
Jailer Cpl. Nathan Barr said thorough precautions are taken to keep the jail sanitary. The first and third week of every month, inmates are given clean rags, bleach, toilet cleaner, scrapers and trash bags, among other products, to clean their cells, Barr said.
Every morning inmate workers sweep and mop the cells and clean the showers. Barr said each inmate has enough clothes to wear a clean outfit each day, and laundry is done twice a week. “They can buy clothes and sanitary items,†said Barr, who has worked at the jail for two years. “But if they don’t have the money, once a week we give them the sanitary items.â€ÂNo matter the effort, Barr said, it is hard to keep the infection under control.
Read the rest at Republic.com
Awareness, CA MRSA, Indiana, MRSA, MRSA in Prisons, MRSA in the U.S. .gif)
6 responses so far ↓
Brian Murphy // Jul 1, 2006 at 2:23 am
Christina,
I don’t believe the nurse differentiated between “staph” and MRSA-type staph infection while listing numbers of cases in the past year or more. I also believe she failed to mention that she was apparently sued prior to the May 2005 “staph” outbreak. I do not know the outcome, if any as of yet, of that lawsuit, but believe it involved a contraction of MRSA-type staph and at least a partial amputation. I hope that the “efforts” to aggressively treat and contain the numerous infections in that facility are genuine, but without the community being aware of the apparent lack of initial aggressive measures, I would use caution in applauding that facility. I am the life-partner, 7 years now, of the inmate who was courageous enough to be interviewed for that article. I feel that once again, the truth has not been fully disclosed. Our lives were drastically changed and I only hope to keep the dialogue open and honest. This has not been my experience locally. Thank you for your concern for human life and for your education of the public concerning the devastating effects of MRSA. I don’t know what else I can say at this point, but sometimes it appears that politics are hindering public disclosure of a health threat to our community. I am sure a fear of being held responsible for inaction or lack of appropriate action could be a factor as well. Please re-read the article and draw your own conclusions. If you wish to speak, please email. Thank you,
Brian D. Murphy, Columbus, Indiana, Bartholomew County
Christina // Jul 1, 2006 at 5:59 am
Unfortunately, I think that your friend was not represented in that article in a very favorable light, as the focus of the story was on the facility rather than the patient. I would be happy to share his story if he would like to send it to me. I thank you for pointing out the bias in the story.
I have a small collection of personally written MRSA stories that I think are very very helpful to folks at http://mrsaresources.com/stories.htm, and would surely include him if he would like to send it.
Kaitlynn // Oct 18, 2007 at 2:43 pm
Hi my name is kaitlynn martin and I am a student at Columbus Christian High School. We are conducting reasearches on social problems, my problem is prison overcrowding I was wondering if you could answer some questions or if I could talk via- eamil to someone else about this issue who would be associated with it. Thank you please email as soon as possible so I know if I need to find someone else to talk to. Thank You for your time
Brian // Oct 20, 2007 at 9:59 am
Kaitlynn,
Hello. I would be happy to speak with you. I don’t know that I can give you much information that will be useful, but I will do my best. Christina, the moderator, has my phone number if you wish to email her and ask for her to email it you. I haven’t spoken to Christina for about a year now, but she is a great source of support and of information as well. Thank you for your reply and I look forward to hearing from you. I have plenty of notes from my own research with contacts that may be useful to you as well. Best Regards,
Brian in Columbus, Indiana
Jim // Nov 1, 2007 at 7:27 pm
The most effective way to kill MRSA is to ‘Dri-Mist’ the area in question. The only effective way to do so is with the Zimek system. It’s working in other Jail facilites.
I urge you to visit;
http://www.zimek.com
c.p. philbeck // Apr 1, 2008 at 5:12 pm
I would like to inform the public about a new invention named the Germ Eliminators Disinfection And Sanitizing System. The system is very low cost to operate,($2.00 per application) after purchase price of $1595.00 ,for cost of system. This system kills mrsa and other germs that cause sickness and disease. Please visit our website to learn more about our epa approved process.
http://www.germeliminators.com
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