62-year-old corrections officer at state prison in Aberdeen dies of COVID-19
A 62-year-old correctional officer at a prison in Aberdeen, Washington, has died from complications due to COVID-19, according to the state Department of Corrections (DOC).
His is the first Stafford Creek Corrections Center staff COVID-19 death reported and the second DOC staff death statewide.
Correctional Officer David A. Christensen died Dec. 29, according to a DOC press release. He had been with the department since May, but previously worked at the Clallam Bay and Stafford Creek corrections centers from 2015 to 2017. He also had worked at Oregon Department of Corrections, Grays Harbor County Jail, Aberdeen Police Department, and Grays Harbor County Juvenile Department.
His death will be reviewed as a possible line of duty death, according to the press release.
“I personally knew Dave for several years and he always impressed me with his leadership skills and his desire to support his fellow officers,” said Ron Haynes, Superintendent at Stafford Creek Corrections Center, in the press release.
“Dave’s humble nature and interest in maintaining safety of those at the facility were very much in line with the Department’s values. Dave was a good man and will be missed by all of us who had the honor of working with and knowing him.”
An outbreak of COVID-19 has been raging at Stafford Creek Corrections Center for weeks.
One inmate at the facility so far has died. When McClatchy wrote about his death Dec. 11, the prison had reported 242 cases in inmates and 24 cases in staff. Those numbers have multiplied rapidly.
To date, the facility has reported 900 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in inmates and 63 confirmed cases in staff. The Stafford Creek facility can hold just over 1,900 minimum-, medium-, and maximum-custody male inmates.
Living units were placed on quarantine status in early December, according to a DOC memo. On Dec. 5 the facility went into “Restricted Movement status,” which the memo says impacts the population’s “ability to attend regularly scheduled programs, call-outs and services.”
In the state’s incarcerated population as a whole, a total of 4,384 cases of COVID-19 and five deaths due to the disease have been confirmed. Among state corrections staff there have been 804 cases, state data show. The publicly available data still showed one staff death as of Thursday morning.
According to the department, there were 1,963 active COVID-19 cases in inmates Wednesday — nearly 13 percent of the state’s average daily population of inmates in prisons and work release facilities.
On Dec. 28, DOC received limited doses of COVID-19 vaccine and started vaccinating staff and a limited number of inmates, according to a press release. The department’s priority list is based on federal and state recommendations and the plan was reviewed by the state Department of Health, according to DOC.
The first people offered vaccinations under the plan were staff at a Coyote Ridge Corrections Center long-term care living unit; inmates who live in that unit who are geriatric with chronic medical needs or require assistance with activities and daily living; DOC staff members who work in medical inpatient units who care for COVID-19 patients; and staff in medical isolation units housing COVID-19 patients.
This story was originally published December 31, 2020 at 11:13 AM.
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