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Committee agrees to pursue contract option for jail nursing services; cost increase estimated
Summary
Sheriff and county staff discussed moving jail nursing services from county employees to a single contractor; committee voted to move the proposal to personnel and finance for review after staff said the estimated additional cost is about $70,000.
Washington County officials discussed a proposal to contract jail nursing and related medical services with an outside firm and agreed to advance the idea to personnel and finance committees for further review.
The sheriff or county staff explained the county currently employs jail nurses and has struggled with vacancies. Staff said most surrounding counties contract for jail healthcare and that a single contractor could consolidate medical, behavioral-health and nursing services that are now split across multiple vendors. Staff said they received a quote from a vendor (variously named in the meeting as "Eaton" and "Eden Care") and estimated the additional annual cost at roughly $70,000. "There are no preclusions from doing this as far as the state civil service goes," the presenter said.
Committee members asked whether existing county nurses would be offered positions with the contractor and whether employees would lose county benefits. Staff said the vendor would offer positions and noted that county employees would lose county benefits if they shifted to the contractor. Members also pressed for clarity on staffing levels and what coverage the contract would provide. The presenter read a proposed staffing schedule that included a full-time RN on call Monday–Friday, evening RNs, weekend coverage, full- and part-time LPNs and small on-call coverage for vacations and sick leave; staff said the contractor proposal would increase overall coverage compared with current staffing.
The committee approved a motion to move the proposal forward to the personnel and finance committees. Members asked staff to provide a cost comparison and to bring the contract proposal, staffing matrix and liability details back to finance before final approval.
