SEIU Local 221 Nurses at Work
Detention Nurses San Diego Central Jail
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Detention Nurses at the San Diego Central Jail
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Nurses are the primary caregivers in any correctional setting and are the backbone of correctional healthcare. Correctional nurses must work collaboratively with security staff, detention administrators and other disciplines within the complex environments encountered in correctional settings.
The medical services provided by SEIU Nurses are described on the Sheriff’s Department’s Medical Division’s website as: “Nurses provide emergency, acute, and basic medical/mental healthcare to all inmates. The inmate population at San Diego Central Jail consists primarily of special handling inmates and newly booked inmates awaiting transfer to other facilities. The special handling inmates consist of those with serious medical challenges, those under psychiatric care, inmates representing themselves in court, as well as defendants facing high-publicity trials. In addition, mental health screening services are provided to inmate patients who have been identified as having previously received psychiatric services in the community and request continuation of services; or those inmates interested in receiving psychiatric care while in custody without previous psychiatric care in the community; or inmates who, after being assessed by medical staff, are believed to require psychiatric services while in custody.”
Registered Nurses medically screen every inmate before they are accepted into the jail system. Screening is done for
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| Detention Nurses at the San Diego Central Jail |
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emergency, acute, and chronic medical and mental health needs. SEIU 221 RN Maryanne Isidro reported the nursing staff screens approximately 100 to 200 inmates in a 24 hour period. The majority of SEIU nurses on the day shift at San Diego Central Jail have been at that location for thirteen years.
Detention nursing is a very complex and challenging specialty. SEIU 221 nurses strive to provide impartial care and create a caring environment in a setting where healthcare is not the core mission of the organization.
“We see clientele from all walks of life and all have a story to tell. I love my work and the work we nurses do,” said Mercal Vivier, SEIU RN at the San Diego Central Jail.
To meet the healthcare needs of a diverse inmate population, the practice of nursing in a detention setting involves autonomy, flexibility, and impromptu decision making.
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| Detention Nurses at the San Diego Central Jail |
“The union has opened our minds to our rights as employees and in turn has helped us maintain quality patient care,” Isidro said.