Jail Inmates Getting Flu Vaccinations Before Guards

KIRO 7 has learned about a new controversy over what King County is doing with its swine flu vaccine.

At issue: Who gets the vaccine in jail.

Investigative Reporter Amy Clancy received a tip from someone who works inside the King County Jail who told her that many jail officers are angry because they’re learning that inmates are being vaccinated against the swine flu, H1N1, before the people who guard them.

The swine flu vaccine is in short supply in King County, and all across the country.

KIRO 7 has confirmed that some inmates at both the adult and juvenile correctional facilities in King County have been receiving H1N1 vaccinations for the past 10 days or so.

And with more than 71,000 doses expected to arrive in the county next week, some of those will also be given to inmates.

The Chief Medical Officer of King County Public Health says the agency is simply following guidelines set by the Centers for Disease Control: vaccinating people most at risk first.

“They’re not receiving vaccine because they are inmates,” King County Public Health Chief Medical Officer Charissa Fotinos tells Clancy.

“They’re receiving vaccine because they are seeking out health services, and they happen to be part of a priority group that is at the highest risk of death and hospitalization. So the fact that it takes place in a jail is what’s different. Just the setting. But they’re still patients.”

Those most at risk, according to CDC guidelines, include inmates who are pregnant, have underlying health problems and are younger than 25 years old.

As for the jail officers, most of them are being told to seek out swine flu shots through their health-care providers and at pharmacies, just like the rest of the population.

And that’s what angers them. Clancy’s source says that because the officers have close contact with inmates, they believe they should be given high priority, like jail health care workers are.

But King County Public Health stands by its plan, saying jail officers can go to their doctors, can go to a pharmacy, unlike inmates. Their only option is through Public Health.

A letter describing the vaccination plan is now being distributed to jail officers. You can see it here.