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Committee extends purchase order for off‑site jail medical costs and advances MetroHealth contract amendment
Summary
Committee approved advancing to council an amended MetroHealth purchase order to cover off‑site inmate medical costs through Dec. 31 and moved an amendment to the in‑house jail medical contract forward amid ongoing negotiations for a new medical vendor.
The Cuyahoga County Public Safety & Justice Affairs Committee on May 19 advanced to the full council an amended purchase order and a substitute amendment to the county’s contract with MetroHealth for jail medical services.
Sheriff’s Department representative Chris Cen told the committee the purchase order (PO 26000320) amendment would add up to $675,000 to reimburse MetroHealth for off‑site medical services incurred when inmates require care at MetroHealth sites. "We are averaging about $100,000 a month for outside medical costs," Cen said, explaining the PO extends coverage through Dec. 31 and can be canceled if a new jail medical contract includes outside care.
Cen also introduced an amendment to contract 3970 — described as extension number eight — covering in‑facility correctional health services. Chief Nester Rivera said negotiations with MetroHealth and county legal staff are ongoing and that leadership plans to press negotiations to conclude. Rivera said the administration aims to finish the talks "sooner than later."
Committee members asked whether medical costs could be charged on an individual 'pay‑as‑you‑go' basis. Cen and chief staff said the per‑diem is structured to cover booking assessments and baseline costs and that isolating which inmates use off‑site care is operationally difficult because jail staff lack direct access to Epic medical records; they are negotiating access and forms to request medical usage data for budget clarity.
The committee approved forwarding both the MetroHealth purchase order amendment (20260138) and the MetroHealth contract substitute (20260145 as substituted) to the full council under second‑reading suspension to avoid a lapse in coverage.
What happens next: the full council will consider both items; county staff said the PO can be canceled if the final medical contract covers outside costs and that they will pursue negotiated access to clinical records for budgeting purposes.
