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| A dozen female inmates treated for spider bites |
| By The State |
| Published: 06/20/2005 |
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About a dozen inmates of the Columbia Residential Center in S.C. have been treated for spider bites at the emergency room of Providence Northeast Hospital. Twelve to 15 residents of the facility, which houses women convicted of nonviolent crimes, have been transported to Providence for treatment in the past few weeks, said hospital spokeswoman Gina Moffit. She was unable to give an exact number or date. The facility is run by the South Carolina Department of Probation, Parole and Pardon Services. The 57 women serving their sentences there live communally; they have committed such nonviolent crimes as money laundering and embezzlement. Moffit said that since Columbia Residential Center's reopening April 15, inmates have received treatment at Providence Northeast for a variety of problems since the center has no doctor or nurse. Residents are taken either to Providence Northeast Hospital or to an urgent-care facility for treatment, which they pay for themselves. The Columbia Residential Center staff received about a half-dozen spider-bite complaints over a period of a few days, according to Peter O'Boyle, public information director for Probation, Parole, and Pardon Services. "These complaints were noted to the point where they had to be transported to medical care," he said. Kristen Martin, spokeswoman at Providence Northeast Hospital, said that other than the inmates, the hospital hasn't treated other spider-bite patients. Richland County horticulturist Donald McInnes of the Clemson Extension Center said he hasn't received more than the average three to four spider-related calls he gets a month. Neither the hospital staff nor the staff of Columbia Residential Center could identify the type of spider involved. Correctional facilities are no more prone to attracting spiders than other buildings, according to Ernest C. Weber, a corrections, jail and prison consultant. More prevalent pests are cockroaches, he said. Eric Benson, a Clemson University entomologist, said that while all spiders are venomous, the black widow is the only hazardous spider in South Carolina. Moffit said the Columbia Residential Center inmates probably were not treated with the antiserum for black widow bites, and none of the patients had to stay in the hospital overnight. |
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