County Welcomes New Jail Health Care Service Provider
Author: Sheriff's Office
Date:
2/1/2019 12:56:46 PM
The San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office is pleased to welcome Wellpath as the new contracted provider to provide Jail Health Care Services, starting February 1, 2019.
Wellpath has been preparing to transition health care services over the past few months after finalizing a contract on December 11, 2018.
The services outlined in the contract include medical, behavioral health, and dental care, and are consistent with the national standard of Jail health care as defined by the National Commission on Correctional Health Care (NCCHC).
The decision to contract out Jail Health Care Services was made by the Board of Supervisors in September 2018 after a process of research and deliberation about the best way to deliver high quality inmate care.
“We begin a new chapter in our Jail, by expanding the range of health care we provide,” said Sheriff Parkinson. “We are extremely impressed with the level of service that Wellpath will provide in making sure the health needs of our jail population are met, which in turn provides safety and security to everyone in our Jail.”
Wellpath is a new name for an experienced company, formed as an integration between two health care providers, Correctional Medical Group Companies (CMGC) and Correct Care Services (CCS). CMGC has long been the chosen health care provider in California Jails and after joining with CCS, serves 270,000 patients in 37 states across the U.S. and Australia.
Cindy Watson, COO of Wellpath states “The partnership between San Luis Obispo County & Wellpath is a great one, because we both believe in transforming public health by delivering hope and healing to those who need it most. We treat our patients with the dignity and compassion they deserve, because we care about them as human beings.”
The Jail’s Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Christy Mulkerin, who is completing a year of service with the Sheriff’s Office, notes, “San Luis Obispo County has chosen a great partner in Wellpath. We have a shared goal of providing preventive, comprehensive, high-quality health care to our patients.”
The total contract amount is $6,763,491 in the first year, which includes medical, behavioral health, and dental services for all inmates, as well as a Jail Based Competency Treatment (JBCT) program.