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| Outsourcing Inmate Medical Discussed |
| By hillsbororeporter.com |
| Published: 06/15/2009 |
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Outsourcing Inmate Medical Discussed A proposal that would outsource inmate medical treatment at the Hill County Law Enforcement Center was outlined for commissioners’ court Tuesday morning, June 9. Finding doctors and nurses to come to the Hall Street detention facility on a regular basis has not been successful, according to County Judge Justin Lewis and Sheriff Jeffrey T. Lyon. The sheriff said, “We have found nobody willing to come to the jail to treat the inmates, and it is time consuming to take them to doctors’ offices, not to mention the security risks.” Sheriff Lyon pointed out that he wasn’t endorsing any one company because the bid process must still be followed, but Dennis Hughes, regional director for Correctional Healthcare Management (CHM), was on hand to make a presentation. The company has 72 sites in 11 states providing on-site doctor and nursing care. Physicians work on a part-time basis, but a nurse is at a facility eight hours a day, seven days a week under the CHM proposal. The annual cost was estimated at $387,358.56. The sheriff’s office has been spending approximately $200,000 annually on inmate doctor, medical and prescription medication that is generally covered by indigent-healthcare funds. It was noted that the amount doesn’t include labor and transportation costs. The judge said that a ruling was still being sought to assure that indigent healthcare funds could still be used to offset the costs. Commissioner Danny Bodeker added that there are a lot of intangibles in the equation that people not working in a jail wouldn’t understand. “I like what I see, but we have to do what is best for the taxpayers,” the commissioner added. More information on the outsourcing option is expected to be presented during upcoming budget workshops. Two groups seeking expenditure of county hotel-motel tax revenue came before the court.Read more. If link has expired, check the website of the article's original news source. |
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