The new phase of vaccinations now gearing up in the Roanoke Valley will include coverage for two highly vulnerable populations: people experiencing homelessness and people in jail custody.
Those groups were included in the newly announced Phase 1b plans as distancing is difficult if not impossible in the homeless shelters and correctional facilities where theyâre cared for.
COVID-19 outbreaks have been reported in 124 jails and prisons statewide to date, according to the state health department. Officials from at least four facilities in the Roanoke and New River valleys have told The Roanoke Times that they have had outbreaks; the local jails reported that their cases were largely mild with few hospitalizations.
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The head of the largest jail in the Roanoke Valley announced Tuesday he plans to retire effective March 1.
Superintendent Bobby Russell has served at the Western Virginia Regional Jail since that facility was first built in 2008 and was promoted from deputy superintendent to the top job in 2010.
Bobby Russell Courtesy of Western Virginia Regional Jal
âIt has been a tremendous honor and privilege to serve you and the citizens of our communities and represent such a highly regarded agency as the WVRJ,â he said in announcing his plans to the facilityâs board.
âPlease know that WVRJ is a part of me and will always be forever etched in my soul.â
With Blue Ridge Regional Jail Authority Assistant Administrator Joshua Salmon slated to take the place of Tim Trent as head of area jails next month, local officials are hoping to see more of the same when it comes to management of the authorityâs five facilities.
The authority oversees about 1,200 inmates between its jails in Lynchburg and the counties of Amherst, Bedford, Campbell and Halifax. This fiscal year, itâs operating under a budget of more than $36 million.
Salmon has been in his position immediately under Trent since August 2016, when he came to the authority from heading the security division at Western Virginia Regional Jail in Salem. There, heâd moved up the ranks over the course of eight years from starting as a shift sergeant.