Cumberland County to Use Third Party Health Provider for Inmates

The Cumberland County Commission has passed a resolution for the use of a third party health provider for inmate and detainee health services.

Sheriff Casey Cox proposed using Quality Correctional Health Care for medical services.

“And what it does, it allows us to meet state standards. It’s to ensure that inmates are getting the healthcare that they should be,” Cox said. “Then it also helps in reducing the liability towards the county and the sheriff and my staff.”

Cox said he didn’t want his staff to feel they need to perform medical procedures they were not trained for.

“In the past, we have always had our own in-house medical. We have had our own in-house nursing,” Cox said. “We have had a doctor from the community that has come in and contracted with us. And it’s just been tasking to try to employ nurses at the sheriff’s office and to have the coverage that we felt like we needed.”

Quality Correctional Health Care contracts out for the year. The third party health provider will help to maintain costs and create better coverage for inmates.

“That was obviously attractive to us. Also that we are going to go into this first year and we are hoping for the best. I have heard nothing but positive remarks about Quality Correctional Health Care and having the contracted medical,” Cox said. “So I am hoping this is something that can continue into the future.”

Quality Correctional Health Care provides the jail with an LPN seven days a week, an RN five days a week, and a Doctor that oversees the staff.

Cox said the third party health provider does not affect the budget but gives 16 hours of coverage.

“What I was already budgeted for medical, my jail medical and my staff personnel for medical, it will actually be budget neutral,” Cox said.

In the coming months, the staff will get in place at the jail with the required materials and equipment.

The contract will be active in July.