Correctional facilities (a.k.a., prisons) have infirmaries, or medical facilities, where patients can be treated for sicknesses and injuries. Sadly, there is a great need for medical care in these places because particularly violent inmates can cause harm to others. Correctional healthcare consulting services can help your correctional facility develop a healthcare clinic within the walls of the correctional facility to help inmates. However, there are definitely some special considerations that need closer inspection during the consulting and planning phases. 

Many Inmates May Already Have Dangerous and Life-Threatening Diseases

Many inmates can have life-threatening diseases, like hepatitis or HIV/AIDS. Inmates who have used needles for drugs or who have had sexual encounters with other inmates who were infected with these diseases are all at risk. It means that guards, as well as infirmary/clinic staff, have to be extremely careful with violent offenders that are carrying diseases or may be carrying diseases. Hepatitis can make carriers extremely sick and destroy their livers, while HIV/AIDS can destroy the immune system and the common cold could kill these inmates. The latter may be even more dangerous than the former because a lot of people locked up in a small space together twenty-three hours of the day can pass around enough germs to cause pandemics. Special considerations for how to safely treat these inmates should be the first priority.

Handmade Weapons in Prison

Handmade weapons in prison that are not confiscated are often contaminated with blood and tissue. Anyone handling these or being cut by these run the risk of contracting a disease every bit as serious as a nurse with a needle stick in a hospital. Special protocols must be in place for the discovery, removal, and safe and immediate disposal of these sharps before they can be used or used a second time. Sharps containers that lock and cannot be pulled from a wall or cracked open are vital to this process. 

Medication Administration Has to Be Supervised with at Least Two Guards in Tow

Anytime medication is given, and especially medication that requires a needle (e.g., insulin for diabetics), the medical staff should be accompanied by at least two guards, and only one patient at a time should be receiving medication to avoid a riot. Proper procedures and training are available through healthcare consulting services. As your facility moves toward better health for your inmates, you can get better training for all the staff and employees/guards. 

For more information, contact a correctional healthcare consulting service.