Guinn plans to privatize prison medical care

Art Nadler

Tuesday, March 9, 1999 | 10:58 a.m.

Medical personnel at the Southern Nevada Correctional Center in Jean had only four words for Gov. Kenny Guinn on Monday: Give us a chance.

Guinn traveled to the medium-security prison, located 22 miles south of Las Vegas on Interstate 15, to ease the concerns of 60 medical professionals who fear they might lose their jobs if the state's prison medical services are privatized.

The workers pleaded with the governor to let them try to find a way to meet his mandate of balancing the budget by cutting $4.4 million out of the state penal budget.

"I don't have the authority to raise taxes, but I do have the authority to be more efficient," Guinn told the concerned employees. "If you can sit down and show us another way, we will work with you."

Guinn is proposing that the Legislature hire an outside firm to manage the medical treatment of prisoners throughout the state. Critics of the plan fear more than 300 workers could lose their jobs, but Guinn says many of the employees would be hired back by whatever private firm wins the state contract.

Nevada prison chief Bob Bayer first came up with the plan to hire private companies to provide medical care for Nevada's entire 9,200-inmate population, and Guinn strongly backed the idea.

A 1998 legislative audit found the current state-run prison medical system has been hemorrhaging money, costing the state nearly $30 million a year -- about 20 percent of the prison's budget.

Critics say having profit-driven companies treat inmates could open the door to poor-quality care and lawsuits, as well as start a trend of eliminating good state jobs in other departments as well.

Privatized care is already in place at Ely State Prison and at the women's prison in North Las Vegas. Various local and county jails are also under contract with private companies.

Jean employees said it is too early to determine whether the new arrangement at Ely State Prison is working.

"Wouldn't it make sense to get an independent audit of Ely before privatizing us?" one Jean worker asked the governor.

"You have experienced people here who have been here for years," said Mary Thompson, who is chief of nursing. "We are willing to make a change and make cuts if we have to."

Many of the Jean employees were upset that they had to learn about the privatization proposal in Guinn's state-of-the-state address and later details about his plan from media reports. They insisted that they should have been told before plans were announced.

"It is depressing to listen to my staff about what they read in the newspaper," said Charles Robinson, a forensics supervisor. "This was a bombshell that was dropped on us in January."

The employees also were concerned when Guinn said he would have to "mothball" the correctional center in Jean until renovations are completed. He assured the employees that they would be given adequate notice before being relocated to other prisons and then move back once their prison was renovated.

But John Kiley, a psychologist at the prison, was concerned that the inmates might be vulnerable in other prisoners. Kiley said the mentally ill and sex offenders would be easy targets.

Guinn admitted that he is encountering mixed feelings on his proposal to make private the state's prison medical services. He said he will continue to seek Legislative approval for privatization, but hinted that he would consider other proposals if it didn't work out.

"A lot of people have a lot of information I don't have about Ely," Guinn said. "Privatization is not in stone. I will look at everything."

Guinn also addressed employees' concerns at the Southern Desert Correctional Facility in Indian Springs later in the day Monday. He plans to visit the Northern Nevada Correctional Center in Carson City and the Lovelock Correctional Center in Lovelock today.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.