A Pennsylvania judge Friday abruptly ordered all children at a county juvenile detention center transferred to another facility after receiving a startling letter detailing horrific physical, psychological, and sexual abuse at the facility.
Delaware County Public Defender Christopher Welsh sent the letter to the county on Friday, the Philadelphia Inquirer said, and it contains affidavits from former and current staff and descriptions of pest infestations, times in winter without heat, and deficient meals.
In one of the most egregious claims, a staff member at the Delaware County Juvenile Detention Center reported that “a child with severe mental illness tried to asphyxiate herself by swallowing clothing,” Welsh wrote. “After staff intervened and cleared the clothes, the girl was thirsty and asked for water.”
All children housed at the Delaware County Juvenile Justice Center were ordered transferred immediately after allegations of physical, psychological and sexual abuse.
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However, the rollout of the vaccine in Pennsylvania, particularly in the southeastern part of the state, continues to frustrate residents, vaccine providers and county officials.
Limited vaccine supply has made it difficult for people to find vaccine appointments and for vaccine providers that are dependent on the state s weekly allocation of doses to make appointments available.
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County officials in the region also share these frustrations as the state remains in Phase 1A of its vaccination plan.
Vaccine supply is limited across the U.S. and Pennsylvania, but some regions have been receiving higher allocations of doses per capita, resulting in a higher number of people vaccinated than other regions and counties.