Apr 21, 2022 3 min read

A nursing director and mental health professional are expected to be hired to work at the Washington County jail to supplement medical care for inmates as the facility’s population grows and more specialized services are needed.

The county commissioners are expected to vote during their 2 p.m. meeting today on an addendum to the current five-year contract with PrimeCare Medical Inc. of Harrisburg that provides health services to the jail that will allow for the hiring of the two additional positions.

The director of nursing position will paid an $85,000 annual salary while the mental health professional will receive $70,000 a year. An additional $31,440 in benefits and insurance will be added to the total.

“We have a large population of individuals who have behavioral health disorders,” commission Chairwoman Diana Irey Vaughan said after Wednesday morning’s prison board meeting where the positions were discussed. “Most inmates suffer from substance abuse disorders, so the need for these services is more than what one individual can cover.”

When the commissioners approved the contract with PrimeCare last March, the agreement called for one mental health care clinician to be available. However, it soon became clear a second one was needed and that person has been working recently to assist the prison population, PrimeCare Vice President of Operations Kasey O’Neal told the prison board.

“This area is in huge need of mental health help,” O’Neal said. “If we remove one of those (clinicians), I’m afraid we’ll regress.”

While there are 15 full-time licensed practical nurses and five part-time nursing assistants available, O’Neal said there is a need for a nursing director position as well. The salary is at the higher range for the position, she said, because of the competitive job market.

The request comes as jail Warden Jeffrey Fewell told the prison board that the inmate population is the highest it has been since late 2018. The number of people being housed at the jail dropped significantly during the pandemic, but Fewell now expects there to be more than 400 inmates there by this summer. The daily population averaged 361 people last month, compared to 276 inmates the previous March.

The five-year contract with PrimeCare took effect last April and paid the company $1.6 million in the first year with 3 to 5% annual increases through the end of 2025. Fewell said Wednesday the current cost of the contract was $1.8 million, which Irey Vaughan attributed to other addendums made to the contract over the past year. The comprehensive health services contract also provides for a doctor and dentist to see inmates when needed.

If approved at today’s meeting, the changes would go in effect retroactively to April 5.