Lauderdale Commission
Contracts for Health Care at Jail
(reprinted from
Times Daily)
In an effort to reduce
the cost of health-care costs at the Lauderdale
County Detention Center, the county commission
agreed to contract with a private company to provide
medical care for inmates.
Commissioners voted 4-0 to hire Southern Heath
Services of Chattanooga, Tenn., at an annual cost of
$247,032.
According to the contract, the private company will
provide nursing services at the jail 12 hours a day,
seven days a week. Also, a doctor will be available.
County officials said the county has two registered
nurses on payroll that work at the detention center,
but they are only there on a part-time basis on the
weekends. Plus, the county has a contract with a
local doctor to go to the detention center once a
week.
County officials said detention center medical costs
continues to increase.
Reports indicate it went from $164,900 in the 2005
fiscal year to $170,400 in fiscal year 2006 to
$318,700 in the recently concluded 2007 fiscal year.
Commission Chairman Dewey Mitchell, who doubles as
the county’s probate judge, said the 2007 fiscal
year expenses was the highest they had ever been.
“The commission has been working with the sheriff
and the jail administrator to find some solution for
inmate health-care costs,” said Mitchell.
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