WSNA elected officers and your WSNA Sea King Staff Representative met on Feb. 4 for a third Executive Conference Committee meeting with King County Management to address issues related to Detention Health. The WSNA/King County contract provides for calling an Executive Conference Committee for issues affecting the Department or bargaining unit as a whole. While we meet with management at each of the detention sites at regular intervals, we felt that issues concerning detention health services as a whole needed to be addressed. WSNA representatives have included elected officers working at KCCF, MRJC and Juvenile Health Services. Our prior meetings occurred in September and July 2019.

We initially met to discuss the excessive use of overtime among prison guards and to address the impact this has on nursing practice and safety. As we continue to meet and address issues, we have presented management with concerns over safe staffing, recruiting, productivity and scheduling.

Our most recent meeting was attended by Tami Nesler, RN at MRJC and WSNA Grievance Officer, WSNA Chair Paul Kunkel, Jane Storrs, WSNA Secretary and Juvenile Detention Health Services RN, and WSNA Nurse Representative Sue O’Donnell. Members of county management included Debbie Wilkinson, JHS Nursing Manger, David Clayborn, JHS/Prevention Employee and Labor Relations Representative, Lois Schipper, Juvenile Health Supervisor, Supervisor JHS and Doreen Hersh, Chief Nursing Officer.

Our meeting agenda included concerns related to the new juvenile detention facility, its physical layout, and how the building design will impact the delivery of health services.

We reviewed and discussed accreditation processes and requirements for the three facilities and Public Health’s role in delivering services to JHS.

We also reviewed the Employee Satisfaction Survey results from 2019 and management’s response and follow up to that survey. We discussed methods for more accurately identifying data and input from nurses and other health care workers in the upcoming 2020 survey.

Overall we believe these meetings are having a positive effect. Management has increased funding for FTEs at KCCF and they are actively recruiting for jail guards. Our next Executive Conference Committee meeting is scheduled for April. Please let us know what concerns you have and what issues you want to address. Please contact Sue O’Donnell, WSNA Nurse Representative for any questions or concerns at sodonnell@wsna.org.

In Solidarity,
Your WSNA Executive Team
Paul Kunkel
Chair
Jane Storrs
Secretary
Yolanda Morris
Treasurer
Tami Nesler
Grievance Officer