Cumberland County renews one‑year jail health contract with PrimeCare; commissioners ask about national media reports

Cumberland County approved a one‑year renewal with PrimeCare to provide medical, mental‑health and medication services at the county prison, commissioners said on Aug. 21. The contract covers fiscal 2025–26 and the county reported a contract value of $4,034,532.01, an increase of $117,510.64 from the prior year that officials attributed to a 3% CPI adjustment. Prison leadership described PrimeCare as the provider of the jail’s health services and mental‑health programming. One commissioner raised concerns about negative publicity surrounding PrimeCare in other jurisdictions and asked for assurance that the problems reported elsewhere were not occurring locally. Prison officials and the sheriff’s office said they had not observed those issues in Cumberland County during PrimeCare’s 22‑year relationship with the jail and credited local oversight and active engagement by deputy and security staff. The board approved the contract by voice vote. County officials said they did review other vendor proposals during procurement and concluded PrimeCare provided an appropriate level of service for local needs. Why it matters: Jail health services are critical to inmate welfare and to the county’s legal obligations. Renewing the contract for more than $4 million drew scrutiny from commissioners because of recent national scrutiny of the company in other jurisdictions. What’s next: The county will continue local oversight of the jail’s health services and monitor contractor performance. No additional conditions or audits were announced at the meeting.