Published October 29. 2009 05:00PM
The Carbon County Correctional Facility is taking precautions to keep the flu virus out of the prison.
Prison Warden James Youngkin said they have installed antibacterial hand sanitizer stations within the facility for inmates and staff to use."Right now, there are no problems with the flu (in our inmate population)," he said, adding that the majority of the staff members are healthy as well."Part of our job is to take care of the inmates," Youngkin added. "The thing with being a small jail is that the inmates see our nurses and medical staff daily so they build relationships and get educated about how to prevent getting sick."Officials have also been discussing additional ways to help contain the flu virus if it does find its way into the prison.Youngkin said they would designate an area in the prison as a quarantine unit if inmates begin getting sick. They would also limit visitation hours.One other precaution the prison is currently taking is providing all prison staff with the seasonal flu vaccine, and will consider offering H1N1 vaccines if it becomes available to them.To date, visitation hours at the Broad Mountain facility have not been limited.