How would you react to being taken hostage?"

[CN Student]

[color=#000040]how would you react to being taken hostage while working in prison?"

[RosesrReder, BSN, MSN, RN]

I've asked myself this question as well. Honestly, don't know. This are seen in a different light when you are there.

My co-worker has a story of an inmate nearly chocking her with his cuffs on while assessing him. She was able to get away luckily by kicking him in the family jewels.

The CO was apparantly too lax when bringing him back to medical.

[SuesquatchRN, BSN, RN]

Badly.

[MadisonsMomRN, BSN, RN]

Probably doo doo my drawers?

:yeahthat:

[JEHORAPHA]

[color=#000040]how would you react to being taken hostage while working in prison?"

this is how one nurse reacted after she and two other nurses was held hostage 2004 and to date none has been compensated. one of the nurses prayed her way out of the hostage situation.

re: jail inmates threatened nurse with torture, death permalink

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nurse at cca fired, safety issue cited (see video)

comments 10 | recommend 3

kathy baucum was one of the hostages during 2004 jail siege

september 18, 2008 11:32:00 pm

by s. brady calhoun / news herald writer

panama city-even if it means her job, kathy baucum won't be a hostage again.

baucum, 50, a local nurse, said she was fired wednesday by corrections corporations of america from the bay county jail because she refused to put herself in a dangerous situation. baucum knows dangerous situations all too well; in september 2004 she was held as a hostage during a 12-hour siege in the cca-run jail in downtown panama city.

last week, the jail's warden, joe ponte, issued a memo ordering all nurses to enter the jail's pods with the inmates and hand out medicine, baucum said. under the new rule, baucum and other nurses would bring a cart full of controlled substances into the pods, a room filled with anywhere from 60 to more than 120 inmates, and the nurse and cart would be escorted by one guard, she said.

a single guard standing between a nurse, a cart full of drugs, and dozens of inmates would almost certainly lead to another hostage situation or worse, baucum said.

"no one knows it until they lived it," baucum said.

during the 2004 incident, the inmates went for drugs first, she said. they snorted over-the-counter medication when they could not get to controlled substances, she added.

for about a week, baucum and several other nurses did not comply with the order, she said. on wednesday night, the nurses were told they had to follow the memo and enter the pods. baucum said she refused and was fired. other nurses there do not agree with the rule either but cannot afford to lose their jobs, baucum said.

when she complained to a supervisor, baucum said she was told the 2004 hostage crisis was a "one-time thing."

"if it can happen once, it can happen again," baucum said.

ponte said baucum has not been fired. instead, she was sent home for one night and he has tried to contact her thursday.

"i'd like kathy to come in and talk to see if we can alleviate her concerns so she can come back to work," ponte said. "she's a good nurse."

however, the current plan for delivering medication is "not that unusual," ponte said. he pointed out the guard and the nurses were watched at all times by another guard outside the pod. ponte said it was a change for some of the nurses, but it was done this way successfully in several other jails. ponte said baucum did not try to talk to him or make an appointment with him before wednesday's incident.

"if they (employees) have an issue or problem, i'm always available to talk to them," he said.

baucum was sent home for the night because she was refusing to do her job and the inmates needed to get their medication, ponte said.

"i have a responsibility for the care and the custody of these inmates," he added. "after that, we could talk at any length about any concerns."

baucum said there is no doubt she was fired wednesday night. her badge was taken away from her, she was told to return all cca property and she was escorted from the building, she said. she said she was told her termination paperwork would be filled out in the morning and she should not return to the jail.

there are two other options that could be used instead of entering the pod, baucum said. one is to administer the pills through a feed flap at the bottom of a door.

"according to the warden, it is not humane to do it through a feed flap," baucum said.

the other would be to use a nurse's station attached to the pods and keeps the nurses separated from the inmates by a window. after the annex was built, the nurses were told the station was "just for show," baucum said.

those options won't work, ponte said. the nurse's station ties up a hallway too long, forcing jail operations to stop while the pills are distributed, ponte said. and inmates cannot talk with the nurse through the feeding slot without shouting and being overheard by other inmates, he added. legally, inmates must be able to talk to a caregiver without others hearing the conversation, ponte said.

baucum now is looking for another job, but she said getting fired was worth it if it means the warden reverses his decision and the other nurses are safe.

"i'm doing this for the other nurses that are there," baucum said. "i don't want anybody else's safety jeopardized."

what must we do to ensue our safety and provide quality care for this population. to date these

[JEHORAPHA]

The nurses that were shot have lost an appeal and were awarded not anything after the hostage take over that left one nurse shot two to three times. The prison neither the agency, Interim Health Care of Northwest Florida, paid for the damages of the three nurses that was involved.

[JEHORAPHA]

The nurse that were shot have lost an appeal and were awarded not anything after the hostage take over that left one nurse shot two to three times. The prison neither the agency, Interim Health Care of Northwest Florida, paid for the damages of the three nurses that were involved.

See Report from newspaper:

UPDATE: Former CCA nurses lose appeal in negligence lawsuit // Read DCA Opinion | lose, appeal, negligence - News - The News Herald

[jjacobsrn]

When I began looking into Corrections Nursing, I must admit my naivity -- hadn't even thought of riots and hostage incidents. One of my friends told me about the "we won't negotiate for hostages" standard ... I must say I had to seriously think about it then. My fiance is nervous about that occuring, but I don't let fear change my life direction. I will be very observant and try to keep myself in a safe position along with hopefully watchful officers. If the worst happened though... I would try to stay calm and hope that my history of respecting the inmates would keep them respecting me. Never can tell....

[Anne128]

Before or after I carped my pants? I would have to be cool and cooperate until things should take a turn for the worst. Then I would have to break out my ninja skills and hope for the best.

[JEHORAPHA]

Asking your agency for the emergency plan and knowing the plan might be helpful. If when the drills are done issues of deficiency are reported may save a life.

[Orca, ADN, ASN, RN]

My facility is a former CCA institution that was taken over by the state. All I can say is that private companies cut corners that states won't. Our pill call procedure calls for physical separation (meaning a barrier) between inmates and the nurse passing medication. We don't just push a cart into a quad full of inmates - an incredibly dangerous policy that I would never ask my staff to carry out.

[MacyS]

In my time on the units I never missed a med pass of always being aware of where I was at any given moment, where the most agitated IM was at that time, the layout of each unit and kept an eye on the door. It's not paranoid to be realistic about who you are dealing with and at least have something of a plan B. It's also smart to maintain the relationship with each IM the same. Consistant, firm and fair. I have seen some nurses taunt and argue with IM's just because they feel superior. I would hate to be in their shoes if there were to be a riot. They should be in another career field, but it does no good to report them. Mgmt ignores it.

[MALENURSE50, MSN, RN]

When taken hostage remember to take vital signs....YOUR OWN!!