Issue | Background | Findings | Conclusions | Recommendations | Responses | Attachments Summary of Pandemic Influenza

Adopt procedures to insure that occasional and unannounced spot checks are conducted at all badge controlled access points to verify that each badge belongs to the user of that badge. Response: Concur. The Sheriff’s Countywide Security Unit will be tasked with the responsibility of conducting spot checks by the un-intrusive use of cardkey computer monitors. The results of these spot checks will be documented and forwarded to the Captain of Courts, Custody and Security Services and will be shared with the BSWG in order to identify and address security concerns in the future.

Adopt procedures to insure that the badge of every terminated employee is returned to the County and deactivated immediately upon termination. Response: Concur. If an employee is terminated for cause, ISD or the San Mateo Medical Center (depending on the employee’s assignment) will deactivate the employee’s cardkey and notify the Sheriff’s Countywide Security Unit. Routine resignations are handled through a termination report, which is generated after each payroll. The report is sent to the County’s Cardkey Administrator at ISD. The cardkeys are deactivated for all employees on the termination report. The Medical Center’s Cardkey Administrator is notified by e-mail from the various Unit Managers that an employee has terminated and immediately deactivates that employee’s cardkey. The result is that the cardkeys, cancelled electronically, will no longer activate the door mechanisms. These processes have been in place for some time but need to be formally adopted in County Administrative Memorandum B-20. The issue of the employees returning their cardkeys is a more complicated issue, as some employees feel that the cardkey is their personal property and fail to return them upon termination. The Sheriff’s Office will work with the BSWG to develop a countywide procedure that will ensure that every effort is made to retrieve employee cardkeys upon termination from County service.

Re-examine the policies of issuing badges that are valid for more than twelve months and of allowing unused badges to remain valid. Response: Disagree. Setting annual termination dates for County employees and members of the Bar Association would create an undue burden on cardkey administration and could have significant impacts on building operations. This past year the County initiated a process whereby departments are required to review a report of all their employees that have cardkey access to the Hall of Justice and verify that the employees are still employed by the County and that their level of access is appropriate. The County’s Health Department has already completed such a review and a review by the Human Services Agency is currently underway. The plan is that all departments would perform a comprehensive review at least once a year. Though in place, this process still needs to be formally adopted in County Administrative Memorandum B-20. The BSWG will also approach the Bar Association about conducting a review of all member attorneys who possess active cardkeys.

Re-examine the policy of allowing work crews access to the Hall of Justice without vetting each member of the crew. Response: Disagree. It would cause significant workload to do backgrounds on all contract workers. Also, the policy would effectively eliminate the County’s use of contractors that provide rehabilitation services, such as Delancey Street Movers. It should be noted that Public Works and/or County department staff are required to have at least one employee on hand when vendors/contractors are accessing any County building after hours to ensure that workers remain in the authorized areas.

Formalize and adopt County Administrative Memorandum B-20, Building Security and Court Security Plan. Response: Concur. Although County Administrative Memorandum B-20 was formally adopted in 1998, it needs to be updated. An interdepartmental work group will be established in early 2007 to begin a comprehensive review and update of all County Administrative Memoranda. Administrative Memorandum B-20 will be a high priority item. The County will notify the Grand Jury once B- 20 has been updated and adopted. December 4, 2006 Honorable John L. Grandsaert Judge of the Superior Court Hall of Justice 400 County Center, 2nd Floor Redwood City, CA 94063-1655 Re: Grand Jury Report: Pandemic Influenza Preparedness at the San Mateo County’s Women’s Correctional Facility Dear Judge Grandsaert: Summary: The potential for a widespread outbreak of avian influenza (strain H5N1) among the general population in the near future is a subject of global concern. News reports indicate that at least 140 people worldwide have been killed since this virus began ravaging Asian poultry stocks in late 2003. An estimated 1.9 million Americans could die and almost 10 million could be hospitalized during a pandemic that may take a year or more to evolve. Although the timing, nature and severity of the next pandemic cannot be predicted with certainty, preparedness planning is imperative to lessen the impact. Measures to prevent and control the spread of this disease may include quarantine and isolation where feasible, limiting public gatherings and closing schools and businesses. “Social distancing” strategies (i.e., the act of separating oneself from others as much as possible) will be encouraged as a containment strategy. Many of these measures are not feasible with a jailed population. Lack of capacity with concomitant overcrowding is one of the Women’s Correctional Facility’s (Women’s Facility) most serious deficiencies. The Women’s Facility (described in the San Mateo Jails portion of prior San Mateo County Civil Grand Jury Reports) has open-bay style dormitory living conditions and centralized toilet and shower facilities that prevent isolating inmates and limiting physical interactions between them and the staff or visitors. The problems are made worse by the chronic overcrowding, the staff shortages within the Sheriff’s Department and the limited number of Correctional Health nurses. Although staffing seems to operate satisfactorily during normal times, the Women’s Facility is not designed or staffed to deal with a pandemic flu outbreak. The San Mateo County Grand Jury recommends that the San Mateo Board of Supervisors: (1) give priority to adequate staffing of the Women’s Facility; (2) continue to develop a plan with deadlines for dealing with a pandemic flu disaster in this facility; and (3) direct that the needs assessment report for the new Women’s Facility address space planning and logistics for any contagious disease outbreak. Findings The Women’s Facility is overcrowded. The facility is currently configured for 158 beds in a building with capacity for 84 beds, according to the State Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. Most toilet and shower facilities are centralized and for group use. There are no isolation facilities at the Women’s Facility; if needed, female inmates are transported to the Maguire Facility, which has only a limited number of isolation rooms. Conclusions Many people come in contact with the inmates in the Women’s Facility (new inmates, Sheriff and probation staff, visitors, attorneys, agency volunteers and counselors), so this “confined” population is unlikely to escape exposure to a pandemic flu outbreak. The sheer number of inmates cycling though this facility almost guarantees exposure. Furthermore, chronic overcrowding, open-bay style dormitories and the centralized toilet and shower facilities of the Women’s Facility prevent isolation, or even the limitation of physical contact among inmates, staff and visitors. This facility is woefully inadequate to deal with a pandemic flu outbreak. All these problems are made worse by the staff shortage in the Sheriff’s Department and the limited number of Correctional Health nurses. While the staffing seems to operate satisfactorily during normal times, the Women’s Facility could not deal with a pandemic flu outbreak