“WHY AFTER A YEAR OF THIS AND THE NEW MORE CONTAGIOUS VARIANTS THAT ARE IN MICHIGAN PRISONS, CAN’T WE GET PPE GEAR TO PROTECT US?”
I am a Prisoner Observation Aide as many of you know. Tonight, 2-21-21 I was scheduled to work at 9:30pm in an area where they now have five positive covid cases. I went to my second shift unit officer and asked her to call the control center and ask them if they had PPE in the area I have to work in available for me. Keep in mind this area in the Kent housing unit, the doors have an inch gap under them, and they have constant blowers, NO WAY for me to stay 6 feet from them.
I asked for PPE gear or to switch with someone that does not have underlined health condition. I currently take 100 MG a day of a beta blocker because my heart beats way to fast, I am almost 50 and approx 60 pounds overweight. The last time I had covid I was in bed for a month, my lungs still are not right, and my heart medication went up 50MG. I have kited several times because I have breathing difficulties and have yet to be seen for them.
Instead of giving me PPE I was told I wasn’t going to work. So now I have to choose between working to get the things I need and my health and safety.
Question for the day, “WHY AFTER A YEAR OF THIS AND THE NEW MORE CONTAGIOUS VARIANTS THAT ARE IN MICHIGAN PRISONS, WHY THE HECK CAN’T WE GET PPE GEAR TO PROTECT US. WHY THE HECK DO WE HAVE TO GIVE UP SHIFTS AND BE SANCTIONED TO OUR CELL AS PUNISHMENT FOR 24 HOURS BECAUSE WE WANT TO BE SAFE?”
Yes, you heard me right. If we refuse to work the officer in the housing units are told to write a 363 ‘bad work’ report and sanction us to our cell for 24 hours. Which by the way is against our policy and procedure for POA.
So please someone out there, help us POAS not be punished for wanting protection. Please help us to be able to get PPE for the areas with covid positive prisoners and to be paid if they refuse.