A newly contracted team of medical personnel are expected to provide around-the-clock coverage and reduce costs for the La Plata County Jail.
Southern Health Partners, a Tennessee-based company, began providing medical services to the jail on July 1, and in doing so, the La Plata County Sheriff’s Office is paying about 20 percent less for medical staff.
“We’re stewards of the county, and if there are places we can save money in the long run, we’ll do it,” said Capt. Larry Foukas of the detentions division. “We looked at the nursing area, and, unfortunately, we weren’t getting the coverage that was needed.”
The Sheriff’s Office paid about $680,000 annually for treatment, hospital transport and salaries for three registered nurses and one licensed practical nurse, Foukas said. Staffing alone was about $629,000.
Now, it will pay $501,000 a year for four registered nurses, one licensed practical nurse and a medical clerk. The amount is based on inmates in custody, not on treatment and covers up to 140 inmates daily, calculated on a monthly average, with an additional $1.50 charge per head.
The 18-month contract has an extension provision, and the company would receive a 2 percent increase in the third year.
Sheriff Sean Smith said the rising jail population underscores the need for more efficient coverage.
Average daily population for the first six months of 2016 was 138, compared to 124 last year, which reflects a 10 percent increase.
DUI arrests booked into jail have shot up from 81 from January to June last year compared to 222 in the same time period this year. Failure to appear and domestic violence arrests have also gone up, and the Sheriff’s Office has negotiated a contract with the state, which will give 24 beds to the Department of Corrections.
“We tried to have 16-hour coverage every day, but with vacations, sick and all that, there would be times when you wouldn’t have any coverage whatsoever,” Foukas said. “Deputies were trying to take that role, which we weren’t comfortable with.”
When the jail had no medical staff on duty, deputies would administer medication and assume related responsibilities.
Last year, deputies said they were without medical staff for three days on Thanksgiving and the following Friday and Saturday.
“If something happened, we’d incur the costs,” Smith said.
Foukas also said deputies have taken inmates to the hospital two to three times weekly on average, which costs about $250 per trip factoring in gas, time it takes to transport and overtime hours.
The Sheriff’s Office will continue to pay for hospital trips, but they are expected to reduce substantially with full-time medical staff.
Stephanie Self, region director for Southern Health Partners, said staff members see about 20 inmates daily.
Nurses work 12-hour shifts and there is at least one on duty at all times with a locally hired doctor on call round-the-clock.
The Sheriff’s Office vetted the new personnel, but they are employees of Southern Health, and the company assumes liability for any medical incidents.
The former county staff members were laid off with the option to apply with Southern Health Partners; one is working with Southern Health. The company offered a starting salary of $31 an hour, which is about $1 more than the county paid.
The new arrangement has brought new services to the jail including EKG equipment, which means deputies will no longer have to transport inmates to the hospital when those services are needed.
And a new electronic medical record system is expected to be up and running within 90 days. The system, which was a $26,000 one-time purchase not included in the $501,000 cost to contract Southern Health, will track ambulance rides, details of medical incidents and other medical data from the jail.
jpace@durangoherald.com
