IT’S BRUTAL — PEF Region 7 Coordinator Bill Crotty joins nurses Tim Quain of Clinton CF and Virginia McDaniel of Adirondack CF in telling state Assembly Member Deirdre Scozzafava about the shortage of nurses at the prisons and the high cost of overtime on staff, patients and taxpayers. — Photo by Sherry Halbrook Overtime sky high at CCF Prison nurses plead for more staff By DEBORAH A. MILES A shortage of nurses at Clinton Correctional Facility (CCF) remains a three-year-old issue and one that is costing the state more money in overtime than it would to hire two more nurses. The nurse shortage is a statewide issue that PEF leaders are working with management to resolve. Meanwhile, nurses at Clinton CF and other facilities are frustrated and frazzled. “The state says it’s saving money, but, actually, it’s spending more money by not hiring nurses,” said Tim Quain, a steward in PEF Division 239 and a nurse at the CCF Annex clinic. Quain said from January through March the combined overtime for the nurses in the clinic and the main infirmary totalled 822 hours. “When you figure in all the variables such as salary and benefits, the state could save money if they just hired two more nurses,” he said. “Working conditions and patient care would also improve.” More than Band-Aids Patient care involves sick calls, dispensing and ordering daily medications, giving insulin injections, removing sutures and attending to the wounds of fight victims. On an average day, the one nurse at the clinic tends as many as 60 inmates. But the duties don’t end there. “We provide more (health) programs than any other prison,” said Quain. “And the nurses participate in all the programs. We evaluate the inmates and that is a lot of extra work. Clinton is the third oldest prison in the state and the largest maximum-security facility of its kind.” CCF is the only state prison with a death row, and the nurses are actively involved with the unit for the condemned. They also screen inmates who are being placed in special housing units and mental-health units. They assist with the program that provides protection for inmates who are former lawyers, police officers and others who require extra protection while serving their prison sentences and help in the education and counseling for pedophiles and sex offenders. Getting by? Other PEF nurses at CCF say some of their problems start in Albany. “You’re not going to get any more staff. Period.” According to one of those nurses, Lynne Khan, that was the response from a state Department of Correctional Services official after a recent meeting at CCF. “DOCS keeps adding new rules and directives. They say these programs have to be implemented. But there just aren’t enough people to go around,” Khan said. Testing for HIV and Hepatitis C, blood-pressure checks and scheduling of clinics for inmates with asthma and diabetes are falling behind because of the short staffing. “The more we keep doing our job, the less the chance of getting more help,” Khan said. “The higher-ups see how much we accomplish and say, ‘They’re getting by.’ “I’m responsible for the care of 1,700 people. The number I actually see in a day depends on how many emergencies there are. A lot depends on the number of times the use of force is required. “There are just not enough medical staff to go around. That’s the bottom line,” she said. “It’s just crazy,” said nurse Kelly Rabideau. “We give the best quality of care that we can, but we do not have enough time to do a thorough job. It’s as if we were applying Band-Aids when it should be stitches. The level of staffing just doesn’t provide the total medical care that is needed.”

RN’s overtime at CCF vs. Hiring two RNs 3 mos. RN OT: 822 hrs. 1 yr. salaries for 2 RNs cost: $80,000 3 mos. OT cost: $26,818 1 yr. benefits for 2 RNs cost: $26,500 1 yr. OT cost: $107,272 1 yr. total for 2 RNs cost: $106,500