From The State That Brought You Willie Horton
Massachusetts inmates to get swine flu vaccine before law-abiding taxpayers. Boston Herald:
Thousands of state inmates will get coveted swine-flu vaccinations weeks before law-abiding Bay Staters - who foot the bill for prisons - have a shot at protecting themselves, state public health officials have decided.
The prison pampering has one lawmaker questioning the con-voluted flu preparation.
“I can think of a number of populations that are more needy and vulnerable than prisoners,” said state Sen. Mark Montigny (D-New Bedford), who co-chairs the legislative committee on public health.
Montigny said all the shots - or mist, depending on the product - should “get out on the street immediately.”
Jail officials warn their population - especially those in high-risk groups from the AIDS-infected to aging prisoners - could spread the flu at a frightful pace if they are not inoculated.
“It’s a perfect breeding ground,” said Middlesex Sheriff James V. DiPaola, who quelled riots at a Cambridge jail in July after rumors about swine flu cases spread among prisoners.
All county jails and prisons have asked for the vaccine, including the Department of Correction, which requested 21,000 doses to innoculate staff and inmates, health and prison officials said.
Swine flu vaccines will be sent to correctional facilities in the second week of November to inoculate prison health-care workers and those at “high risk,” said state Department of Public Health spokeswoman Jennifer Manley.
Vaccinations for members of the public who do not fall into any risk category are set to start Nov. 27, Manley said.
…
Steve Kenneway, president of the Massachusetts Correction Officers Federated Union, said staff and visitors risk bringing swine flu inside correctional facilities, where quarters are cramped for quarantines and security personnel levels could be decimated by an outbreak.
I dunno, I’d say the facilities look like perfect quarantine quarters. Vaccinate the staff and stop letting visitors in until the threat’s gone and/or the public’s been vaccinated.
Reader poll. At last check, “Are you kidding me? only in Massachusetts … ” was leading with 70 percent, “No” following at 18 percent. ”Yes, a swine flu outbreak in prison is a real concern” got 11 percent. But let’s hear it for True Blue Mass, the 1 percenters: “Yes. If the shots are not given, the state could be liable.”
By the way, for those who remember Republican candidate, later Gov. William Weld’s promise to introduce Bay State inmates to the joys of busting rock, that never happened.
Topics: Boston, crime, moronocy, punishment
Posted by Jules Crittenden at 8:22 am on Thursday, October 15, 2009
8 Responses to “From The State That Brought You Willie Horton”
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October 15th, 2009 at 8:49 am
Hey, if you’re in the clink for not buying health care, do you get those shots?
October 15th, 2009 at 9:22 am
Unbelievable!
Do voters in MA read this stuff? Or do they depend on the public schools for their news and information?
Also… interesting piece on the Robert Reich statement regarding Obamacare: http://www.conservativeblog.thewebinfocenter.com/conservative-blog/rare-moment-of-liberal-honesty
October 15th, 2009 at 9:49 am
The vaccine in the 1970s was harmful to a number of patients who got it.
While this is a new vaccine, any flu vaccine is about one year behind the virus, so it’s not necessarily an exact match. It’s worth a conversation with your doctor if you should get it; I do hesitate, even in my pre-op status, as one doctor listed out what the risks are for some people.
It’s a good idea to either be your own health advocate or to have one in your family.
October 15th, 2009 at 11:50 am
Hey … that’s really hurtful! We don’t put people in jail for not getting health care. We fine them into the poorhouse! As for that cutting remark about where MA voters get their information, from the public sector unions, where do you think!?!
October 15th, 2009 at 12:33 pm
Jules, why would the Statehouse do anything differently now?
October 15th, 2009 at 1:24 pm
[...] There Are Any Number Of Conclusions To Draw From This Story October 15, 2009 Posted by taoist in Democrats. Tags: Lunacy, Massachusetts, Politics, Swine Flu, Vaccination trackback In Massachusetts, the inmates will be getting swine flu vaccine before anyone else. [...]
October 15th, 2009 at 5:00 pm
[...] The Boston Herald reported: “Thousands of state inmates will get coveted swine-flu vaccinations weeks before law-abiding [...]
October 15th, 2009 at 9:05 pm
Yup, if you let the government control healthcare, they will ration it accordingly.
That’s why right wingers don’t want the government controlling our healthcare.
Duh!