Countywide : Jail Cell Renovation for TB Isolation OKd

County supervisors approved plans Tuesday to renovate six cells in the Orange County jail system as medical isolation units for inmates with tuberculosis.

The unanimous approval by the Board of Supervisors provides an initial $30,800 for design work for a project that could cost more than $200,000, officials said.

Under terms of the renovation plan, four cells in the medical department of the Intake/Release Center and two in the Women’s Jail in Santa Ana would be modified in an attempt to contain the highly contagious disease.

Design plans call for the construction of separate ventilation systems that would circulate potentially contaminated air directly outside.

Tuberculosis is a bacterial disease that is spread by airborne droplets from coughing or sneezing.

Officials have said that crowded jail populations are considered among those most at risk for the spread of such a disease, which is generally transmitted by prolonged contact with an infected person.

The precautions are a reflection of the disease’s dramatic growth in Orange County during the past three years as TB cases have increased by 41%.

At least three cases have been identified at the jail this year and there were six reported last year, according to medical officials. Currently, jail authorities transport infected inmates to Western Medical Center in Anaheim, where they are quarantined and treated.

The new jail units would allow inmates to be isolated more quickly and cut down on transportation costs to the hospital.