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Medical staffing in jails probed / Union alleges shortage of nurses compromises inmates' wellbeing

Source: By Angela Woodall, InsideBayArea.com (CA), 01/05/2007 03:09:38 AM PST


Alameda County Supervisor Alice Lai-Bitker is probing accusations that severe understaffing of medical personnel at two Alameda County jails is endangering their safety and inmates' health.

The inquiry by Lai-Bitker, the board's Health Committee chairwoman, came in response to complaints by Prison Health Services workers that staffing was 30 to 50 percent below contract requirements from August to December.