NewsBreak Original

Hospitals across the country are struggling to deal with labor costs that surged over the course of the pandemic. Between 2019 and March 2022, labor costs rose by 37% per patient. The largest driver behind this increase was the cost of traveling nurses, who earn three times as much as staff nurses. On top of those costs, worker shortages in every aspect at hospitals has compounded the problem.

Suffolk County House of Correction is pictured on Feb. 8.Tobias Fu / The Tufts Daily. A bill proposed last year in the Massachusetts state legislature would enact a five-year moratorium on the design and construction of prisons and jails in Massachusetts. The bill was reported out favorably from the Joint Committee on State Administration and Regulatory Oversight on Jan. 24 and is now being considered by the Senate Committee on Ways and Means, bringing it one step closer to Governor Charlie Baker’s desk.

Gov. Murphy Appoints Six to the Edna Mahan Correctional Facility for Women Board of Trustees. “Governor Phil Murphy today announced the groundbreaking appointments of Dr. Amesika Nyaku, Tia Ryans, Dr. Johanna Foster, Bonnie Kerness, La’Nae Grant, and Kathleen Witcher to the Edna Mahan Correctional Facility for Women Board of Trustees. The Governor also reappointed Dr. Karma Brown Warren.”

Last week, Gov. Bill announced a 37% salary increase for new correctional officers hired by the Tennessee Department of Correction (TDOC). The move makes the starting salary for a Tennessee correctional officer $44,500.