Inmates and Covid-19

Why not the one she can have a couple of chicken maybe it's not the perfect gift for your family, but it gives the perfect gift for poor family ninja chicken can break the cycle of poverty for poor family yes chicken chickens and eggs provide food and nourishment for family and they can sell mosaics at the market for income when you donate a chicken or any other rental gospel for Asia.

100% of what you give goes to the field and get the ball went gospel fundraiser to support family and Jesus family this Christmas, give them six explanation or see chickens and other animals campaigned on her eye. This is the show for you is for those of you were putting yourself willingly, knowingly and voluntarily between the loved one worst disaster are you doing are you holding up handling things. That's what the show was all about. 877-655-6755 877-655-6755 if you want to be a part of the show with me. It is ever is himself the count of body disco John Butler, who's been with us from the very beginning and usually he's the man that keeps it on the rails that right John the show engineer. I don't know how dedicated I am to rails at this point, but it's good to see you as always. John and I have my video monitors set up so I can look at your face for Montana while you're in Nashville and we're thrilled to have you as part of the show, you know about our work.

Those of you who've been listening for some time know about our work at staining with which is the presenting sponsor of the show steady with hope is the is the vision that Gracie had when she give up both of her legs.

She wanted to be able to provide quality prosthetic legs to her fellow amputees and we been doing that now for 15 years.

We work with the Republic of Ghana and West Africa right so for the first four years of this I would, we would collect and use prosthetic limbs that came from all over the country to us and then I would disassembled them so we could recycle the parts and then we would ship that along with new materials that we purchased over to West Africa that would help sponsor limbs and all that Stuff and provide them with necessary things that are set there in my den. Many a night with leg strewn about the din. This is like a garage operation.

Her name is. I did out my garage and did it in the DNS at their watch the news or do you want to watch a movie when a disassembled legs so after disassembling legs in my den floor for some time.

I thought cashers can be a better way to this and one of our board members, longtime college friend, my Mary Dawson worked at core civic and she introduced me to the folks there that could form up faith-based partnership with core civic and that's what we did. They worked out a program for inmates to volunteer at one of the facilities that they administer they administer correctional facilities all over the country and owned several in and contract out with local governments and federal governments, and so forth to do the others and and they they said we we always look for faith-based programs of things that are of interest that are our inmates can participate in in and enjoy, and so forth have the corset to earn the right to do it. You don't to be around tools and things such as that and and it was just wonderful partnership and in the inmates seem to really love it and and I I was very grateful for the help and so we started this program in 2011 and is just continue to grow. I think were getting close to a thousand legs that they have helped us recycle and the minister like a huge amount, but think about the amount of sheer volume of prosthetic limbs that have come to a prison. It's really kind of funny because sometimes people will leave them there at the front at the it it it is just have a box.

The lift tickets again, but that they been very gracious about it got me thinking about this whole thing with the coronavirus. How have correctional facilities dealt with this so wanted to have them on and I've got Steve Connors of VP core services and met more as a senior director of reentry services to talk about this program and and the things that they're doing with the with the coronavirus and everything else and you will because there are a lot of families that are are unable to see their loved ones in a correction facility during regular visiting hours and things such as that. It's been a little bit weird, a bed, do some adjustments and then you got the inmates themselves are trying to wrap their minds around what's going on in the world outside this facility and and how are they safe where they are and so I thought Melissa springs guys in and let them tell from the things they've had to implement due and challenge they face the hurdles they've overcome, and what are their thoughts on this moving forward. So Steve and Matt, thank you very much for being a part of the show. I stably start off with you when you first got the word about this virus. You guys don't you responsible for how many tens of thousands and you know you don't have the luxury of just sitting around and just say well will hope for the best thing you gotta put a serious plan in place. Plus, you have to be coordinating with all the federal services of how they do it.

What was it like for you guys. Well Peter what I'd say that thankfully our organization just like any other correctional agency across the country and probably the world has to be on the lookout for contagious diseases and we were not newcomers to to managing the inside out facility so we routinely deal with. Of course the annual flu cycle when stars in each one and one of those type of things popped up measles, mumps, also common wheat. We've got hope protocols in place to survey all and be ready for when there's a small outbreak to handle itself wheat we kind of already had the muscle memory to deal with contagious genius but thankfully we all recognize when the first news reports came out about coronavirus and just paid a lot of attention well before it became a pandemic way before the United States had its first case and we built a coronavirus specific plan and then immediately executed it, and from that day forward, you have not stopped researching and paying attention to what are you health authorities whether the CDC or our state and local County health authorities assigning and we take all that into consideration and we have a just a fantastic team.

You know, Peter, today we have 13,000 staff members who wear a core civic ID badge and every one of them is the reentry professional. It is something that we believe deeply about that every single person works for the company, regardless of their title is responsible for being a reentry professional in addressing recidivism reduction in in all such a different way.

And now on top of that they all become coronavirus specialist as well. Through the many ways that you've heard so we continually learn.

We continually change our practices and protocols when the gaps the science changes and we become wound things and couldn't be more proud of the team in the way that they worked tirelessly to get us our RPP any sanitation supplies the beginning very hard for us to obtain those materials but very proud of the fact that we didn't run out, prepared in advance and you know today I am very smoothly system in place to make sure that those 13,000 people we call them heroes of the day there, front line of this and am really doing heroic work at our facilities. Well, you know. And that brings me a question of of all the things the supplies you guys had to give Matt feel free to jump in on this. I am I I imagine that was a bit stressful because I mean John and I were at the Walmart trying to find toilet paper having interested to know if it's hard enough. What you do for individuals.

Imagine doing it for what it was you guys have 85 facilities in we have about 69 facility between jails and prisons on residential reentry centers and detention centers so and that's about 50,000 inmates to take every single day detainees and residents that we care for, let alone idolize modern jazz is and so yeah, I do not imagine that was rather stressful and in challenging when you do, they see that you guys are not like you said you're not operating in in this not first go around with infectious disease are not operating in a vacuum. Either you have strict guidelines from the federal government, and I guess as well. State government is that how that works are contracts typically will include lesions that mandate that we be ready to address any kind of health concerns and inmate detainee resident may suffer from and from that flows you know the responsibility you have medications on hand keep eating we use PG&E every day in a correctional facility and so wasn't new to us. We have to learn how to use it where to buy. We already have established relationships because of what I had said earlier about being ready for contagious disease dealing with chemicals at a facility so we had all those establishment. Of course that didn't mean much if nobody could get the supply so you're right. It was stressful, but our procurement team just today an amazing job of never taking no for an answer. Everybody was very focused on sending her any kind of information we had about a certain supplier what they had and matching what we need in those type of things.

It was a big team effort when somebody gets sick and they present at the guys all have in-house medical facilities that every one of your your sites so somebody gets sick, and they manifest some level of of cobra 19 symptoms.

You know what what happens how's that was because just sitting somebody to the hospital when their inmate is not you. You just don't do that she does okay just go to the hospital. It involves staff. It involves coordination with the hospital that were there so many different levels of things going on a mini granite yelled not yet been doing this for some time, so I would imagine that those things are not new to you but this is a little bit different because of the contagiousness of this thing. So how do how did that work out what was the steps for that well luckily every day. We operate medical clinics in almost all of our facilities and these medical clinics are prepared to handle many things including surveillance for the COBIT disease when it pops up and once it does, again, those protocols kick in place will able to isolate individuals who are either symptomatic or test positive and from that point forward that person is monitored and treated and very rarely, but sometimes we do have inmates that have to go to the hospital as a result of that, as we all know if you have other medical issues. Then if you get COBIT, then those could make COBIT more severe, so most of the times the inmates that are sent to the hospital.

Have other health issues going on as well.

What the vast majority 99% or more. Stay in the facility. They treated their monitor and they recover within the normal time but that's seven days 10 days 14 days. Every person is different but these days it's about 10 days that they remain in isolation for a mild or moderate case with a stay isolated. There on site with the core civic site yes yeah we did have my size and type of set up there for them. Yet we have what they call negative pressure rooms where inmates replace camp and in their always right within the medical area so we have doctors nurses to attend to them. And then of course I'll correctional staff would be in the area as well, but they too are aligned of being protected because they don't typically have to go inside that that negative pressure room. That's with Leslie to Gracie when when she was diagnosed back in the that 1 March and really better than negative pressure room it, but that she never went on the ventilator, but she did have oxygen you guys if they got a go to ventilator.

You're not to do that on side that has to go to hospitals that correct that is correct without we go take a quick break here, just a quick break I were talking with Matt Moore who is the senior director, reentry services, and Steve Connery, VP core services for course or civic and they are I think they are the nation's largest private correctional facility company and have a lot of lot of people that are responsible for. And if they're not healthy. If there staff is not healthy. How in the world legal bill to kiss these folks there, and we'll talk about that when we get back to speed Roseburg. This is hope for the caregiver so glad that you're with this 877-655-6755 will be like. Have you ever struggled to trust God when lousy things happen to you. I'm Gracie Rosenberger in 1983 I experienced a horrific car accident leading 80 surgeries in both legs and became it.

I questioned why God allowed something so brutal to happen to me. But over time I questions changed and I discovered courage to trust God that understanding along with an appreciation for quality prosthetic limbs led me to establish standing without more than a dozen years we been working with the government of Ghana and West Africa, equipping and training local workers to build and maintain quality prosthetic limbs for their own people on a regular basis. We purchased ship equipment and supplies and with the help inmates in a Tennessee prison. We also recycle parts from donated lambs.

All of death is to point others to Christ. The source of my help and strength these visit standing without.com to learn more and participate in lifting others that standing without.com. I'm Gracie.

I am standing without look about the hope of the caregiver. This is Peter Rosenberger. This is the nation's number one show for you as a family caregiver were so glad 877-655-6755 877-655-6755 and will be a part of the show were talking was the country VP core services at Matt Moore, Senior Dir., reentry services core civic man I want to deviate just a little to get back to the Corona thing. What do these you.

You've heard Gracie story and what she's talked about with envisioning this you be joining us at the bottom the hour with four segment of a do with her, but what do you what your thoughts on these reentry. These faith-based programs when it comes to the reentry services that you provide and what are some things that you see and what are some things that you would like to see more of their great faith-based programs are a great partner of ours during this coronavirus case, one of the two of them that have been great help some great partners with this is men of valor into here in Tennessee have produced a series of videos that were there were we've been showing in our facilities that just bring encouragement and hope to the inmates when they can't see their family and for the purpose of another nationwide prison ministry hasn't has developed a program called visitation 2.0. That's also video-based design to bring hope and encouragement in emailing and using nationally recognized artists and speakers and comedian and pastors to bring in Encouraging Word when they can't have the answer.

And that's been very important so that we have partnered with a number of faith-based organization that that really are huge up to. Well it's been a wonderful experience for us with the prosthetic limb program, and I know our friend Johnny Erickson. Todd and her program wheels for the world is also found that very meaningful and can you connect the dots and draw the line pretty clearly on the faith-based programs and the recidivism rate there is a good bit of research out there that that shows that faith-based programs absolutely do work and absolutely do help producers of this wonderful and I really do appreciate what you guys have done and the inmates seem to really like it is different it's it's kind of weird when you walk into the shop with all these legs and arms of love, but here it is. Got a weird death that will say this, I yelled out it of the city, but… Keep this twixt us, but I had to put together a bunch of supplies to go on the pallet that was good to go to Ghana and you know they were packing up their national Metro Davison facility where were we did the printer never moved to Arizona but II wanted to drop off some supplies went on one of the tools that we use in our work is your always work with pylons.

You gotta make it shorter is a hacksaw and I went out and bought a bunch of tools ahead that in the box that it is I got to the pit at the front. There were, they were scared to get it dawned on me, you know, sending a hacksaw into a prison is probably not a good idea so we had the we had to adjust quickly. So sorry about that. We don't tell anybody that okay I will let twixt the Steve what I think someone asked you for we didn't Bobby are you guys be gracious to the time when he is the fear that can happen in the rumor mill that can happen when you're dealing with a global pandemic like this. And these guys are are contained in a closed environment.

Talk about a little bit that that fear and and how you guys address it.

Talk about that rumor mill and what you guys did to you. Note to keep that from getting out of hand. The first thing I say Peter is that inmates are no different than you and I and others in the community everybody fear the unknown. You can plan for the future lease you feel the future is uncertain and inmates are no different. So we are all have that common need, and how we address that need to clarify the future to help them understand what's going on is communication so it's a key part of the facility leaders job to make sure that not only here she does that communication personally but then all levels of the management team from him or her all the way down to our front line officers, front-line workers talk about what is fact and what is fiction and they're able to do that because we have been providing them with guidance multiple times a week. Every time the science changes studies come out those type of things were feeding them that information. In this way they can turn around and talk to them about it. We also have given them tools to help help them understand how the coronavirus is working in the particular area around the facility so for instance we developed the 50 mile radius map that each facility leader could look at every day and determine whether the area where our staff come from, and is surrounding the facility whether it's a high incidence rate or or is it low is an increasing decrease himself. It's a matter of educating our people and also giving them the tools to do it themselves on a daily basis and that just becomes the information them to pass along to both staff and inmate.

We put up signs and posters multiple languages depending on on the culture that facility of mostly signs and posters coming out of the CDC now just the basic stuff you need to know washing your hands. I had to deal with sneezing and blowing your nose like on etiquette how to properly wash your living quarters in your surroundings to keep it germ-free all those things. So I think we've been very successful in doing that and but yeah we we we really are careful each time we are introducing a new protocol to make sure that it's communicated rightly understand why we are doing something and that it doesn't increase the amount of fear as opposed to what we always are trying to do, which is clarify things and reduce the stress and anxiety inside of those facilities inside those those housing areas will last minute that we have here. Would you take a moment to address family members that that have no love. Once inside a facility that are incarcerated. Maybe levels with you know some significant health issues and diabetes and so forth. Imagine that is something that is as heavy on a lot of people's minds because a Knesset to get to them they would make sure they're being treated well and in all those kinds of things take just a moment to 30 seconds to tell those family members know your thoughts on that. Well, I would assure them that we are 100% focused on the monitoring of all inmates but especially those that are highest priority highest at risk for the disease if they get it. So we we are putting them together and making sure that everything is done to keep the disease away from them and the monitoring is also very, very strong in those areas so that the key thing thank you very much for the County VP core services.

Of course if it meant more senior directory services, a course in core civic.com if you will learn some more about it. You guys are stepping in a circuit.

For so many folks there for your hard work they think the time of the children they dispute. Rosenberger never helped somebody walk for the first time I've had that privilege many times through our organization. Standing with when my wife Gracie gave up both of her legs follow this horrible Rick that she had as a teenager and she tried to save them for years and if it just wouldn't work out. And finally she relinquished him and thought wow this is that I'm not happy legs anymore. What can God do with that and then she had this vision for using prosthetic limbs as a means of sharing the gospel to put legs on her fellow amputees and that's what we been doing now since 2005 was standing with work in the West African country of Ghana and you can be a part of that through supplies through supporting team members through supporting the work that we're doing over there, you can designate a limb.

There's all kinds of ways that you can be a part of giving the gift that keeps on walking and standing with.com what you take a moment ago understanding without.com and see how you can give they go walking and leaping and praising God. You could be a part of that@standingwith.com