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‘Much needed’: Prison system unveils health care wing

Prison system unveils health care wing

MUNCY -- The state Department of Corrections held an opening ceremony for a new medical wing in the State Correctional Institution at Muncy Friday afternoon.

The new 10,000 square-foot Wilson Infirmary Annex is the women's prison's response to an ever increasing population and an opportunity for the prison to provide more medical services within its complex.

"The completion of this project signals an important development in the effort to modernize the health care facilities for Pennsylvania's female inmates," John Wetzel, corrections secretary, wrote in a statement.

The annex, which is planned to open for use next week, will provide the institution with 19 long-term beds, a dialysis center, two exam rooms, offices, a laundry area, multi-purpose rooms, a dental clinic, laboratory and an OB-GYN clinic.

While the additions will not introduce services that the staff couldn't do with the older infirmary, the annex gives the prison the ability to treat more and decrease the number of times that the facility needs to move inmates to outside sources.

"Our facilities have not grown for our population. This is much needed space," said Robert Smith, superintendent of SCI-Muncy. "This addition will give SCI Muncy the ability to better care for its aging and chronically ill inmates in a cost-effective manner."

The previous infirmary had 17 medical beds that now will be used for post-surgery and day-to-day care, according to Smith. The inmate beds in the annex, however, were created with long-term care in mind.

Inmates will be able to operate a call system if they need anything from a nurse and two isolation rooms will allow staff to move inmates with contagious illnesses to a secure room that filters air away from the annex.

"This annex will help us meet continued medical challenges we face every day," said Lesley Blair-Morrison, corrections health care administrator. "Nothing is 100 percent new, but it is more modern."

Construction for the project began in 2014 and cost a total of $5.9 million with funding from a state capital campaign.

The move to the new building gave the staff the opportunity to modernize inmate records as well as move to digital X-ray.

Added space in the dental and kidney dialysis centers will also greatly minimize the time it takes to do mandatory health exams.

"Every lady that comes into the system needs a dental exam," Smith said. "We conduct dialysis on sight. This provides a better dedicated area for that process."