Harrisburg, PA -- Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, Pennsylvania Department of Corrections employees have been faced with a myriad of challenges and have adapted their operations to ensure safety of inmates and employees.
"As is the case with all corrections employees, when a challenge presents itself, they rally and answer the call for help through creativity and hard work," Corrections Secretary John Wetzel said. "One specific area that went above and beyond is Pennsylvania Correctional Industries (PCI)."
Since March, the PCI soap plant at SCI Huntingdon has distributed 1,665,800 bars of antibacterial hand soap. The soap plant has also distributed 6,844 gallons of its EnvirX Hard Surface Sanitizer and 51,480 packs of its Perfect-Pour PDC-45 Disinfectant in concentrated form, which will produce 257,400 gallons of finished solution. The main components for the both EnvirX and PDC-45 was added by the FDA to the list of chemicals that can kill COVID-19.
PCI garment plants have produced 8,577 gowns for PA Department of Health and 11,678 for the PA Department of Corrections. PCI also made approximately 750,000 masks and shipped them throughout the commonwealth. Nearly 430 sneeze guards also were manufactured, and more than 2,200 floor decals were made to help in the reopening of the state agencies, counties and local governments.
"PCI's manufacturing of masks, gowns, cleaning supplies and other PPE supplies has helped make it possible for the state and local governments to continue their operations without consuming the public's resources," Wetzel said.
DOC officials wish to recognize the following employees for the important roles they played -- and continue to play -- during this pandemic:
SCI Benner Township – masks – CI Managers Bill York and Matthew Vozniak, Supervisor Steven King and Foremen Corey Weaver, Gale Gearhart, Benjamin Jones, Jason Gutshall and Brandon Leidy.
SCI Dallas – gowns and masks – CI Manager Justin Hudak, Stock Clerk Ronald Filippini, Factory Foremen Ronald Scavone and Thomas Hardik and Factory Supervisor Bernard Olszyk.
SCI Frackville – masks – Supervisor Michael Stever and Foremen Bernard Tomko, Jason Strouse, Daniel Wright and Michael Laurie.
SCI Greene – masks – Supervisor Kristy Santoyo.
SCI Huntingdon – masks, anti-bacterial soap and sanitizers – CI Managers Craig Northrop and Karl Thompson, Factory Foremen Allen Betts, Tony Klatt, Mark Hileman, Kimberly Danfelt, Connie Smith, Russella Bell and Factory Supervisors Greg Stephens and Dave Ernest.
SCI Muncy – masks – Corrections Officer A. Hering and Factory Supervisor Kimberly Shuler.
SCI Phoenix – masks -- CI Manager Jerry Arasin; Factory Foreman Jacob Robinson, Dylan Yutko, Dennis Terry, Michael Reese; Factory Supervisors George Mataka and Rodney Marshall; Laundry Supervisor Henry Hause; and Laundry Foremen Joseph Pucci, Louis Quintana, Edward Hollihan and Paul Evans.
SCI Rockview – masks – CI Manager Nathan Rhodes and Factory Foremen Larry Quick, Donald Foster, William Schmouder and Paul Bumbarger.
SCI Somerset – masks – Supervisors Mark Knapp and William Baker and Foremen Tammy Mulhearn, Paul Smith, Bradley Baughman and Scott Walker.
SCI Waymart – gowns and masks – Stock Clerk Jeffrey Bomba, Factory Foremen Andrew Mizenko and Stephanie Martzen and Factory Supervisor AnnMarie Dippel.
PCI only may do business with non-profit or governmental entities, and its customers include various Pennsylvania county prisons, county government offices, school districts, transit authorities, Civil Air Patrols, courts and libraries.
Wetzel also commended staff at PCI's central office for their leadership and direction to the various factories. Those individuals are: Director Khelleh Konteh; Assistant Director Richard Gaul; Project Manager Greg Richardson; Administration Manager Priscella Karns; Clerk 2 Vickie Coleman; Manufacturing Operations Manager Brad Basehore; Freight Logistics Manager Richard Sebring; Management Analyst Mindy Witmer; SAP Contractor-Business Analyst Anjana Yarlagadda; Services Operations Manager Tracey Meyers; Administrative Assistant Cherese Darhower; Financial Operations Manager Richard Lipka; Accountant 3 Doris Weaver; Accounting Assistant Collette Garrett; Sales and Marketing Manager Tracey McCullough; Sales and Marketing Supervisor Troy Vanatta;, Sales and Marketing Representatives Crystal Rhodes, Joann Clarke, Brad Patterson and Jackie Arnold; Clerk Typists Page Gottdiner and Heather Wartburg; and Clerk Melissa Liebner.
Pennsylvania Correctional Industries (PCI) is a Bureau of the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections (DOC) that employs approximately 1,500 inmates system wide to produce a variety of items that are available for sale to non-profit organizations and government entities located throughout Pennsylvania. PCI jobs provide inmates with basic work skills and ethics. Items normally produced by PCI include: officer and inmate apparel, bags, bed/bath/personal items, furniture, housekeeping items/supplies, soap, signs, license plates and printing services. PCI is self-sustaining through the sale of PCI products and services, and receives no money from the General Fund, saving public tax dollars. Learn more by visiting this website.
To learn more about the DOC's efforts to mitigate COVID-19 in its system, please visit https://www.cor.pa.gov/Pages/COVID-19.aspx. A dashboard that is updated Monday through Friday also is available on this page.