Update: As of 5 p.m. on Tuesday both Rockview employees have been released from the hospital. Toxicology and urinalysis tests were inconclusive, according to the Department of Corrections.
Original story:
Two employees working in the same building at SCI Rockview became ill while handling inmate-related documents on Tuesday, the latest in a series of illnesses to strike prison staff members on the job across the state this month.
The Department of Corrections also reported that security staff at SCI Benner discovered 82.47 grams of K2, or synthetic marijuana, in a non-contact visiting booth on Tuesday. An investigation is under way.
At Rockview, an employee who was sorting inmate request slips began to feel sick and was taken to the prison’s medical center area where she was assessed then transported to the hospital. Another employee who was sorting mail also began to feel ill and was taken to the medical area for assessment.
“The employees both work out of the same building, which now has been evacuated and sealed off,’ a DOC release said. ‘The prison’s safety manager is in the process of assessing the area.’
The prison was already on lockdown for a maintenance project and for the search of a housing unit.
The incidents at Rockview and Benner aren’t the first at state prisons this month, according to the DOC.
On Aug. 6, six employees at SCI Mercer were sent to Grove City Hospital after coming into contact with a suspicious substance while searching a cell and packing inmate property. One employee required administration of Narcan and was admitted to the hospital while the other five were treated at the emergency room and released. The entire hospital had to be shut down for decontamination and the prison was placed on lockdown.
Two officers at SCI Camp Hill were sent to a local hospital on Aug. 25 for examination after falling ill. One vomited after brushing a glove off a table in the inmate exercise yard and the other reported feeling queasy. Both officers were released with permission to return to duty.
The same day at SCI Fayette had two incidents. An officer who was performing safety and security checks in a cell became ill with a flushed face and elevated heart rate. He was administered Narcan and taken to a local hospital for treatment. He was released the same day.
Another officer who had been escorting an inmate developed bumps on his forehead and elevated blood pressure. He was taken to the hospital, treated and released and was able to return to finish his shift.
On Sunday at SCI Smithfield, two officers observed an inmate who was acting suspiciously and during a search an item containing white, orange and blue paper fell to the floor. About 20 minutes later the officer who picked up the item reported experiencing a headache and as staff were preparing to take him to the hospital he became increasingly disoriented. He was taken by ambulance to the hospital, where he was treated and released.
Pennsylvania State Police is conducting testing on samples of the substances involved in employee illnesses to determine their identity.
At both SCI Houtzdale and SCI Camp Hill over the weekend, security stopped attempts to smuggle drugs into the prisons.
On Aug. 21, the DOC announced new measures to respond to safety and security threats.
“The safety and security of staff and inmates is paramount to the Department of Corrections,” said Corrections Secretary John Wetzel. “Whether the threat is drugs or staff assaults, the agency is working vigorously to combat these threats on many fronts.”
