Franklin County legislators hear urgent

plea for more help

By DENISE A. RAYMO

MALONE -- One full-time nurse and a part-timer with a medical issue of her own are responsible for the care of more than 110 inmates at the Franklin County Jail.

Sheriff Jack Pelkey has asked legislators twice since July 17 to allow him to hire a second full-time nurse to ensure coverage for both the day and evening shifts.

But the Franklin County Legislature, which is in contract negotiations with union leadership, is reluctant to make a decision until those talks have concluded, said Legislator Daniel Crippen (D-Burke).

"It's the pay, and it comes down to a possible conflict, so until that's resolved, we're holding off," the District 2 representative said.

The sheriff had permission to hire three part-time nurses to help fill in shifts when the full-time nurse needed time off or when the workload was such that she needed extra help.

Pelkey said another reason to add the part-timers was that his full-timer "is my age, so in the next two or three years, she might think about retiring."

He wanted to have someone trained and ready to take over once retirement occurs.

But two of the three part-timers hired are gone, and the third said she'd be interested in becoming a full-timer if her pay could be increased from her part-time salary of $20 an hour.

Pelkey proposed raising her to $22, and that is where contract talks stalled the discussions.

There is a fourth part-time nurse who is sometimes able to be called in to cover a shift or help, he said, but she has a shoulder injury and is not always feeling up to the task, making it tough to plan a schedule around her.

Another factor in his pro-active stance is that the State Commission of Corrections is set to make its annual inspection of the jail and its operation in September.

"It's a matter of time before the commission makes us hire another nurse," the sheriff said.