Attorneys and advocates for patients at a state prison’s critical stabilization unit, which houses prisoners who are sick or ailing, say they’re worried about the impact of low staffing levels on their clients.
Prisoners and advocates report a nursing shortage and lack of a permanent medical director are affecting operations at the Massachusetts Correctional Institute at Norfolk, leaving high-needs prisoners with inadequate care. A COVID-19 outbreak also recently spread through the 16-bed unit, infecting over a third of inmates in early and mid January. The state Department of Correction claims it currently has no positive COVID-19 cases.
A group of prisoners, called the Norfolk Inmate Council, mailed a summary of the prison's pandemic protocols and goings on to attorneys and advocates on Jan. 9, mentioning the hospital unit was on lockdown due to the COVID-19 outbreak and describing a nursing shortage. “It’s forcing most nurses to work double shifts five days a week in the CSU, causing a lot of fatigue in their vital positions,” the letter read.
Attorney Michael Nam-Krane said he’s worried about his clients with high medical needs. A 78-year-old African American client of his requires near-constant help because he has cataracts and uses a wheelchair as well as hearing aids. Another one of Nam-Krane's clients has amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a nervous system disease that creates mobility issues. His muscles have degenerated to the point where he must be stabilized in a wheelchair to keep him from falling.
“I mean, when he has to go to the bathroom, he can't really manage it on his own,” said Nam-Krane. “So he has to have several people help him. He’s an adult male, not a small guy. So if it's [the unit] understaffed, he's going to have to wait, and … you know.”
The last medical director left MCI-Norfolk in November, and declined to comment to GBH News. The Department of Correction said it has an interim medical director and there’s been “no interruption to the continuity of care during the current search for a permanent director.”
Kate Piper, a paralegal at Prisoners’ Legal Services who works with many of the men at MCI-Norfolk, claimed that there has been no “dedicated doctor for the whole prison, including the CSU," since the last medical director left, and that nurses are overwhelmed.
“So the overnight nurse is frequently in multiple times a week, working double shifts, or 16-hour shifts,” she said. Usually, prisoners from general population would work in the critical stabilization unit in a similar way certified nursing assistants work in the free world: changing soiled sheets, helping inmates take showers and offering companionship. But the general population prisoners are unable to be in the critical stabilization unit due to a COVID-19 related lockdown, according to Prisoners’ Legal Services.
The department’s medical provider, Wellpath, didn’t answer specific questions about MCI-Norfolk’s unit, but provided a statement over email about problems with nursing and mental health professional staffing nationwide during the pandemic.
“Like all healthcare organizations across the country, we are experiencing staffing challenges, as a result,” wrote spokeswoman Judy Lilley.
The organization’s primary focus, she said, is to maintain the health and safety of patients and staff.
Wellpath’s career website lists seven job openings at MCI-Norfolk, including for a registered nurse, nurse practitioner, medical director, mental health professional and physical therapist. Lilley said Wellpath is also monitoring regulations that waive or change requirements to "ensure sufficient staffing levels."
Throughout the pandemic, Prisoners’ Legal Service and legislators have pushed for medical parole, a provision in the 2018 Criminal Justice Reform Act that allows for terminally ill and permanently incapacitated prisoners to petition for compassionate release. They haven’t gotten far.
“These are our oldest, sickest inmates. We have not seen any medical parole come out despite multiple conversations and even lawsuits filed against the Baker administration,” said State Sen. Becca Rausch, who represents Norfolk.
She said she is concerned about the recent outbreak of COVID-19, along with claims of poor quarantine conditions and delayed medical care.
