I am looking for information on the aging population in prisons and also whether there are any hospice services provided in any of the prisons in Pennsylvania.

I am also interested in hearing people's experiences with their loved ones becoming terminally ill and dying in prison and what kind of care was provided.

I am a nurse and I work for a local hospice in Pennsylvania.

I have a pen pal in Muncy in PA. She has some really serious health concerns the last couple of years. They sent her outside for surgery. They gave her therapy in Muncy but not much. She now needs special orthopedic shoes and they won't provide them and want her to pay. She has no funds. She is in her late 50's. She recently alerted the staff to the deteriorating condition of another inmate who was a friend of hers. They would not pay much attention until this other woman got very sick. Finally they took her to the hospital infirmary but she died within days. My pen pal says her friend had cancer. It does not sound like they did much for this other woman until she was nearly dead. It's not too good. Nancy

Thank you for that information. It is very sad. I will try to follow up - I am not sure where Muncy is.:o

Muncy is in Muncy, PA. Sort of north central Pennsylvania.

PA does have a hospice program. In fact, back in 2000, when only a few states (like mine) offered some hospice services to inmates, PA DOC had at least 3 hospice beds. It's proabably expanded considerably since then. C.M. Mara of Penn State University Harriburg's School of Public Affairs is a source of info on PA's aging prison population & hospice. Have you read her stuff?

Here's a link to the PA DOC policy on access to healthcare which gives guidelines and things for admission to hospice http://www.cor.state.pa.us/standards/lib/standards/13.02.01_Access_to_Health_Care_Section_08_Communic able_Diseases_Infection_Control_1.pdf

And I assume you're aware of PA House Bill #7 Regular Session 2007-2008
http://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/billinfo/billinfo.cfm?&syear=2007&sind=0&body=H&type=B&bn=0007