Years ago the nurses would take the meds from the bottles and place them into manila envelopes marked with the inmates name and the proper dispensing information (times, dosage, etc.). Then they switched to the blister packs and to this date still use them. The state told us that dispensing meds had to be done by pushing the meds from the blister pack directly into a paper cup in front of inmates so no one could say we touched the meds. For those who have used blister packs you know that occasionally the pills pop out too fast and end up on the dispensing cart or elsewhere. They also changed the liquid meds such as maalox and cought syrup to a sealed one dose unit so we didn’t have to pour the medicine out into a plastic cup.

Our system has been revised once again, hopefully for the better. As officers, we are now dispensing the medications straight from the bottles, following the perscribed dosage. This has eliminated some of the issues we have had as far as the blister packs being shorted certain medications and not knowing which medication was missing. So far, so good. It is a little slow, but it minimizes the stress of not knowing which medications you were possibly signing for that were missing.

At the jail we were required as COs to pass medications to inmates. The jail physician would see the inmates two times a week, prescribe meds and the nurses would put them on a portable cart for each section of the facility. Each officer on a unit, floor, dorm would go through a med book by inmate name, pull the appropriate meds from a blister pack dispensing them in a paper cup. The inmates were called to the officers desk where they had to bring a glass of water, swallow the meds and open their mouth, sticking out tongue to make sure they took them. The state said that COs could pass medications as long as a doctor prescribed them and nurses filled the orders.

We too are concerned about the legality of passing medications without any traing other than OJT. Most of the meds are prepackaged by medical staff and may not have an accurate count on each medication or they may be listed by brand name on the bottle, but are listed by the generic name on the med sheet. Does anyone have any information regarding the legality of unntrained staff passing medications?

How do small, rural jails handle medication administration if they don’t have a nurse on staff?

Is there a training course for detention officers that can certify them to be able to legally pass medications to the inmates?

How do facilities get around the potential legal ramifications of not having a nurse on staff

Lisa Hirsch LHirsch@coconino.az.gov