Corrections extends medical-services contract for one month while switching vendors; jail medical cost rises about 17% for October

Ren Fox, director of corrections, told the Cowlitz County Board of Commissioners (date not specified) that the county will extend its existing personal‑services agreement for jail and juvenile medical services with Nafcare/Everhealth for one month while the county finalizes a contract with a new vendor, Medeco.

Fox said Nafcare bid in the county procurement but county staff selected the lowest bidder, Medeco (a Virginia‑based company), for the longer term. To avoid an operational gap while legal finalizes the new contract, the county will amend the current provider agreement for October. "Nafcare did bid. We did not choose them as our vendor. We chose the lowest, bidder. It's a company called Medeco," Fox said.

Fox summarized the financial effect: the total monthly cost for September was $208,149; the October extended payment will be roughly $227,532 (all components: jail, juvenile, mental‑health and MAT services). Fox described the October figure as reflecting a 17% increase for the jail and juvenile medical-services portion for that month while mental‑health and MAT components remain unchanged.

Why it matters: the county will temporarily absorb the one‑month price increase while transitioning medical vendors for the jail and juvenile facilities. Staff said the new vendor contract is with legal and expected to be finalized in the coming weeks.

Next steps: finalize and sign the Medeco contract and transition medical services after October’s extension period.