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Davis County jail expands medical wing and starts new MAT program under contract with Wellpath
Summary
Sheriff's corrections staff told the budget committee the jail transitioned its medical services to a new contract and opened a 32-bed medical wing; a medication-assisted treatment (MAT) program launched Aug. 1 with 34 enrollments in under two months and county officials say expansion will need additional staffing and funding.
The Davis County Budget Committee heard an extended presentation from the sheriff’s corrections staff on changes to in-jail medical care, substance-use treatment and staffing needs.
Corrections officials said the county completed a transition of its jail medical unit this year and opened a 32-bed medical wing about two and a half years ago to handle withdrawals, mental-health needs and pregnant people who require close monitoring. "Our average population in that medical 32-bed medical unit is about 28 inmates a day," the presenter said, adding the unit uses clinical assessment protocols and three-times-daily nursing checks.
The county contracted with Wellpath to expand on-site medical services and start a medication-assisted treatment (MAT) program for opioid and other substance-use disorders. Officials said the MAT program began Aug. 1 and that, in less than two months, "we have had 34 people enrolled in that program, 17 that are currently enrolled," with four more on a waiting list and 17 successfully handed off to community MAT providers for continued care. The initial contract limited in-jail participation to about 25 people; presenters said the program is expected to grow if the county funds additional clinical staff, notably a full-time licensed clinical social worker (LCSW) to manage warm handoffs and coordinate community referrals.
Officials listed costs and contract details only approximately: the MAT contract line item was discussed in the $300,000–$350,000 range and the in-jail medical contractor increase was estimated in committee discussion at roughly $1.3 million to $2.0 million net of offsets. The corrections presenter emphasized offsets from other line-item savings and asked the budget office to produce a net-of-offsets analysis to clarify the recurring fiscal impact.
Committee members pressed on capacity and equity: state-contracted inmates are typically reserved in a 20-bed block under county agreement and Davis holds roughly 60–70 state inmates, the presenter said, and the county is exploring whether programming for some state inmates could be added if the state pays additional per-inmate costs.
Speakers also described protocol and capacity issues: anyone assessed as at-risk for withdrawal is placed in the medical wing for five-day monitoring under clinical protocols (including CALS/CWAS scoring), and the county noted a high completion rate in earlier community programs—the presenter said the county had a >95% completion rate historically for its 24/7 sobriety-related monitoring program when it served as an early adopter.
The presenter and budget staff said the program’s sustainability depends on hiring and training clinical staff and on whether the committee will approve additional operating funds; they recommended a full-time LCSW and anticipated ongoing training and possible increases in personnel and supplies if the program expands.
The committee asked for follow-up materials, including the MAT contract cost line in the procurement file and a net-of-offsets estimate showing best-, middle- and worst-case fiscal outcomes. The presenter agreed to provide those numbers to the budget committee for consideration in the final budget.
