SUFFIELD, Conn. — The Department of Corrections announced on Wednesday it will be relocating its medical isolation unit to the MacDougall-Walker Facility. The unit is used to care for COVID-19 symptomatic positive inmates.
Before the relocation, the medical isolation unit was at the Northern Correction institution. The DOC says it has not had any symptomatic prisoners since September 2.
The new medical isolation unit will be with the prison and was chosen due to its modern infrastructure, said the DOC in a written statement. The new facility will meet CDC guidelines.
The Northern Correction Institution was created at the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic in April due to it being the only facility meeting CDC guidelines and being readily available.
“Northern was the only option at the time, and it played an important role in helping to minimize the spread of the virus,” said Commissioner Designate Angel Quiros. “Thanks to the incredible work of our staff expediting the release of eligible offenders and the lull in infection rates, we have the opportunity to safely free up space within the MacDougall building.”
The creation of the medical isolation unit at Macdougall is to prepare for a potential second wave of COVID-19, said the DOC.
“Given the extremely difficult, never before seen challenges our staff faced during the initial wave of the pandemic, they did an incredible job,” said Commissioner Designate. “However, there is always room for improvement. We’ve examined our initial response, identified and made the necessary adjustments, and now we are better prepared for the future.”
