Impact
WARD: Citywide
COMMITTEE: Public Safety
$ IMPACT: 63,360.00
Title
Approve contract with Southern Health Partners to provide onsite medical services for inmates at a total estimated annual impact of $63,360.00 and authorize the Mayor to execute all related documents.
Body
ISSUE: Current medical needs by inmates are referred to local medical emergency rooms, causing undue medical cost to those departments that are served by our facility. During the last six months Sandy Springs has paid at least $61,000 in medical fees on inmates housed in our facility. This cost does not include hourly rates of our officers transporting and guarding offenders, while awaiting other agencies arrival to take custody. Detention Officers are not currently properly trained to deal with inmate medical issues and do not have the ability to complete a thorough triage. As public safety leaders, we have been taught to identify issues and deploy resources where they are needed. Medical needs of those under our direct care is an area of high liability. Training our employees to give the best care available and provide professional services relieves the agency from some of this liability.
BACKGROUND: In the past medical services were addressed by a licensed physician and his P.A. (Dr. Allen). Dr. Allen retired in 2016 and we have been unable to replace his services. Attempts have been made to contract with another local physician and internet medical services. These attempts have failed and currently the jail has to send inmates to local hospital for medical history and treatment. Under the guidance of Southern Health Partners their nurses will be able to research inmate medical history and obtain medications without the inmate having to leave the facility. Southern Health Partners will provide a nurse 3 times a week for 4 hours, and a doctor twice a month for two hours. They will also provide a 24 hour phone number for emergency situations to give advice on proper imm...
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