Chuckawalla Valley State Prison Closed To Visitors, Volunteers And New Inmates To Contain Flu-like Illness
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(Blythe) – Chuckawalla Valley State Prison (CVSP) has been closed to new inmates, volunteers and visitors as custody and health care staff contains an illness causing flu-like symptoms including fever, cough and body aches, the institution announced today.

Medical staff at CVSP began seeing inmates with flu-like symptoms on February 23, 2008 and began taking precautionary measures. Since then, 546 inmates have shown varying levels of flu-like symptoms, prompting health care and prison administrators to temporarily restrict all inmate movement and close the institution to intake, transfers and visiting. Volunteer programs have been suspended as well.

In total, 10 inmates have been hospitalized for treatment.  Two inmate deaths on March 1 and March 3 are being investigated to determine if they are related to influenza.

“We are following all appropriate protocols and are working closely with the Receiver’s medical staff, which provides treatment to inmate patients. We have also engaged state and county public health officials and are taking steps to ensure that the illness is not spread outside of the institution,” said Warden John F. Salazar.  “Although experts have informed us that this flu season has been particularly severe, we are doing everything we possibly can to contain this illness so that we can limit its exposure to the community.”

CVSP has implemented the following measures to limit the spread of the illness:

• Suspending visiting until further notice,
• Suspending attorney visits until further notice,
• Suspending routine and volunteer programs until further notice,
• Not receiving any new inmates,
• Not transferring any inmates,
• Restricting inmate movement and rotating yard time,
• Limiting staff movement within the prison.

Prison administrators do not yet know how long the institution will remain closed.

Staff is taking all necessary precautions to prevent contamination or spread of the illness:

• Common areas are being cleaned and bleached;
• Inmates with symptoms and inmates who have been exposed to them are confined to their housing units and being fed one housing unit at a time;
• Dining halls in each facility are being sanitized with bleach after every meal;
• Medical personnel are conducting wellness checks of all inmates in all housing units;
• Inmates scheduled to be released to parole are being medically evaluated and will be given written instructions before they are paroled.

CVSP medical officials have informed county and state health officials and sent cultures to independent labs to determine the cause of the illness, to closely monitor its progression, and to ensure the health and safety of staff, inmates and the community.  Seven lab test results were positive for the influenza A virus; one lab report was positive for influenza B.  Riverside County public health officials have collected additional samples for testing.

The flu is a contagious respiratory disease and can be serious for immune compromised persons, people age 65 and over, and those with chronic medical conditions. Last fall, the flu vaccine was administered to approximately 450 CVSP inmates who were identified as being at high risk.

Chuckawalla Valley State Prison was opened in 1988 and provides long-term housing for minimum-, low- and medium-custody inmates.  The prison also provides academic and vocational education, substance abuse treatment, religious, self-help and other rehabilitative programs. CVSP currently houses 3,145 inmates and employs 814 people.

For Immediate Release
March 7, 2008
Contact: Lt. D. Asuncion
(760) 922-9710