Today, the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections announced it will close SCI Pittsburgh in order to make up for major budget shortfalls caused by lack of revenue. SCI Pittsburgh currently employs a total of 555 people, including 16 nurses. Nearly 1,900 inmates will need to be transferred to other facilities.
“It’s a disgrace that the politicians in Harrisburg didn’t find revenue needed to keep our institutions functioning when the money is out there. Instead of taking it out on the middle class working people they should be making sure big corporations are paying their fair share,” said Vista Johnson, a nurse at SCI Mercer. Johnson, a member of SEIU Healthcare Pennsylvania, has been dreading this day since the Department of Corrections first made the announcement. The list of possible closures included SCI Mercer, where Johnson has been a nurse for eight years.
“I appreciate that the Wolf Administration and DOC have been put into a very difficult position because of the failure of Republican leadership, but its unclear if this move will actually save us any money in the long run,” said Kevin Hefty, a Vice President of SEIU Healthcare Pennsylvania, the union that represents nurses employed by the Department of Corrections. “SCI Pittsburgh’s proximity to health facilities allows the Commonwealth to treat some very sick inmates at a lower cost. It has an oncology unit and those inmates, if transferred, would likely need to travel to Pittsburgh hospitals for treatment. Closing Pittsburgh means transferring these expensive inmates to other facilities that may not have the capacity or experience with such a challenging population. Any short-term savings will likely be offset by longer-term per inmate costs in the receiving institutions.”
Union leaders will be begin meetings with Office of Administration and Department of Corrections officials Monday to discuss how SCI Pittsburgh staff will be impacted and placements rights to other jobs.
If you have any questions, please contact Mike Forbes at Mike.Forbes@seiuhcpa.org.