Pine Grove inmates claim woman rushed to hospital in serious condition was ignored by jail staff

“The SHA was contacted to provide guidance on how PGCC should manage those individuals who would be considered a close contact with the affected individual,” the statement said.

While noting there is no risk to the general public, the ministry’s statement also mentioned all close contacts to the affected individual in PGCC have been identified and shared with the SHA to ensure they are properly assessed.

“As this incident is related to an individual’s private health information, we are unable to provide specifics on the nature of the infection.”

The following statement was provided by the Saskatchewan Health Authority.

The Saskatchewan Health Authority was contacted on the weekend to provide guidance on how to manage close contacts of individual with an infection at Pine Grove Correctional Centre (PGCC). All close contacts have been identified. We cannot discuss further details of an individual’s health care.

The SHA would like to reiterate that there is no risk to the general public and no action is required by the public.

The Elizabeth Fry Society works closely with the inmates at Pine Grove and was able to confirm they had been made aware of the incident, but had no further information.

On Tuesday morning, multiple inmates who were close to the woman, contacted paNOW. Requesting anonymity, they explained the woman had been at the correctional centre for roughly six days and was sick when she came in.

Noting how the woman was labelled by staff as a withdrawing addict, the inmates who were close to her said they had done their best to care for her, keeping her hydrated and even assisting her with walking to the bathroom.

Saturday’s actual call to 9-1-1 came after another inmate contacted their own mother, explaining what was happening.

The mother who also spoke to paNOW said she informed the dispatcher the inmate at PGCC was throwing up and her skin was purple.

Meanwhile the inmates expressed how traumatized they were after the incident, and one woman explained how while on lockdown they’ve been receiving medication but no one knows what it’s for and none of them has seen a doctor.

The woman’s immediate family declined comment at this time.

Conditions at Pine Grove were most recently brought to light in February, following two inmate deaths.

Tatiana Custer, 23, died in early January and was initially found unresponsive in a common area of the institution. She was later declared deceased in hospital.

The following month, a 24-year-old woman, who has yet to be identified, was found unresponsive in a living unit and like Custer, was also transported to a local hospital and later declared deceased.

In addition to the police and coroner’s investigations, the Ministry of Corrections, Policing and Public Safety is also conducting its own internal investigation.

Section 20 of The Coroners Act, states the chief coroner shall hold an inquest into the death of a person who dies while an inmate at a jail or a correctional facility unless the coroner is satisfied that the person’s death was due entirely to natural causes and was not preventable.

Following the deaths of two women, Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations (FSIN) Chief Bobby Cameron also spoke publicly.

“Transparency and accountability are important for public trust; we join the calls for a public inquiry into these tragic deaths. A public inquiry will determine if these deaths were avoidable; we want to know if corrections were negligent. We want to know if the facilities have the tools and resources required to guarantee the safety of our people in custody.”

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nigel.maxwell@pattisonmedia.com

On X: @nigelmaxwell

by Nigel Maxwell

Pine Grove inmates claim woman rushed to hospital in serious condition was ignored by jail staff

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