Attorney General Iver Stridiron said Thursday afternoon the Bureau of Corrections is on top of a situation that has developed involving two part-time nurses at the Golden Grove prison on St. Croix who have abandoned their jobs.
Stridiron, responding to reports that inmates were not being provided adequate medical attention, said his agency is processing termination NOPA's for the two nurses who walked of the job a few days ago. "When those personnel actions are signed, we will be able to hire replacement nurses," Stridiron said, adding that a contingency plan is in place to make sure prisoners receive their medications and adequate medical care.
He explained that a retired supervisory nurse is putting in three hours a day at the prison, "so the process of providing medicine is slower than usual," Stridiron said.
Another nurse is on vacation, he added, which has aggravated the situation.
But Stridiron said attempts are being made to put the supervisory nurse on contract so she can work more than three hours a day. "She wants to do it, but at the same time, we don't want to mess up her retirement benefits. We are working the fine points out," Stridiron said.
He also explained that as a result of the consent decree with the federal court, a medical consultant is presently evaluating the level of medical care being provided to inmates at both the St. Thomas and St. Croix prisons.
