Screening & Health Care

UCDOC COVID-19 Action Plan

UNION COUNTY
DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS (UCDOC) IS TAKING ACTION
TO PROTECT STAFF AND INMATES UNDER OUR CARE

Screening & Health Care

Staff screening procedures – All staff are screened for COVID-19 like illness before entering the jail. This screening is not meant to serve as a diagnosis and does not confirm the presence of any disease. The screening process was developed in accordance with the latest federal, state, and city health guidance, and is as follows:

• Before entering the facility, the staff is required to answer a series of yes/no questions regarding symptoms and/or possible exposure related to COVID-19.
• The staff member then complies with temperature screening, taken via an infrared no-touch thermometer.
• If staff members answer “yes” to any of the screening questions, or if they have a fever over 100.4 degrees, they are immediately sent home.
• If they are UCDOC staff, they are directed to notify the Department’s Custody Division and advised to follow the recommended procedures for seeking medical attention.
• If they are not UCDOC staff, they are directed to notify an administrator of their relevant agency and advised to follow the recommended procedures for seeking medical attention.
• Staff tested every 2 weeks
• Inmates tested every 2 weeks
• Contact Tracing conducted by the County of Union

Staff access to COVID-19 testing – All UCDOC personnel, both uniformed and non-uniformed, will be provided access to COVID-19 testing at Kean University testing site. Testing will be explicitly provided to staff that are symptomatic and have been exposed to someone with COVID-19 and are exhibiting symptoms of this disease. Staff is encouraged to register with the Kean University testing site. 

Medical screening for inmates in custody – Consistent with federal, state, and local guidelines, CFG Health System screens inmates upon admission to the Union County Jail, to identify health issues and to recognize, isolate, and monitor as appropriate, individuals who may be at high risk of COVID-19.

Symptom Monitoring – UCDOC staff has been instructed to refer any inmate in custody who is exhibiting COVID-19 like symptoms to CFG , our medical service provider for evaluation. In addition to its ongoing training for uniformed personnel on infectious and communicable disease precautions, UCDOC staff has also received additional training and guidance on how to spot COVID-19 symptoms and make referrals to CFG as appropriate.

Health care for inmates – Inmates receive care and treatment from (CFG). As appropriate, inmates may also receive care at acute care facilities within the Hospital Systems adjacent to the Union County Jail, which is among the best equipped in the nation to provide the appropriate, safe care to those patients. If clinically indicated, inmates are placed in special housing units for a variety of reasons including the possibility of COVID-19 infection while being monitored  several times daily by medical personnel.