Federal Medical Center's warden reflects on career

by Christine Ballew-Gonzales

SBJ Contributing Writer

Pat Keohane, who was warden at Springfield's Federal Medical Center for the past four years, ended his career in the federal prison system Aug. 31. For Keohane, who has spent 32 years in corrections, it was a positive end to a career but it wasn't the end of his work life.

"When I realized that this was really my last day, it was kind of a strange feeling," he said. "I've been working since I was 12."

Keohane's career has taken him from the Springfield Police Department, where he began in law enforcement, to some of the most dangerous prison facilities in the country.

Keohane was the originator of the first two boot camps for young offenders and was also the developer of the "super-maximum" security model used in the restructuring of the Marion, Ill., prison. The facility was the first prison to use that model other than Alcatraz.

Keohane began at Springfield's Federal Medical Center as an officer nine years ago and continued in that capacity until he became warden four years ago.

Keohane is now starting the next phase of his career with a bid for the Christian County sheriff's seat. "I am 100 percent in the race," he said.

In addition to running for sheriff, Keohane is putting his decades of corrections exper-ience to work as a consultant on corrections issues. The state of New York has already contracted Keohane to help deal with the state's corrections challenges.

There are many health care issues that Keohane has observed in the prison environment that concern him several of which that the public at large will also be dealing with as the population ages.

"There will be a greater need for hospice and end-of-life services with aging prisoners, and longer sentences," he said. "We've got obligations, not just to the prisoners, but to their families."

The prison population, as well as the general population, will be forced to deal with other critical health care issues.

"There will be a lot of considerations as the population continues to age, such as resuscitation, life support and end-of-life issues," Keohane said.

The way that the medical establishment is structured might also be called into question, according to Keohane.

"The medical arena to me seems to be so specialized," he said. "Somewhere down the line, I think we need a little less referral and a little more medicine. Maybe medicine shouldn't be so specialized."

Liability issues also worry Keohane. "One thing I am concerned with is the issue of liability," he said, pointing to an overly litigious society. "Some doctors get hit pretty hard."

Keohane said he has seen within the prison medical system the results of people who abuse the right to sue. "It used to trouble me that you would have a prisoner who doctors said was not competent to stand trial, but this guy could make all these wild civil accusations," Keohane said.

While Keohane looks forward to running the race for Christian County Sheriff, he looks back on his corrections experience with a sense of accomplishment.

"I felt I was a leader, a risk taker," he said. "I didn't sit on my laurels and wait for someone to tell me to do what needed to be done. There were a lot of creative things that I did. I've seen the results of what I've done, and I'm very proud of my career."