Jail medical contract to include mental health services

Cost for contract to rise from $1.075M to $1.365M

COEUR d'ALENE — The cost of Kootenai County's medical services contract for jail inmates will rise $289,748 next fiscal year to $1.365 million per year due to new mental health services in the package.

The contract with Correctional Health Partners, LLC, will be effective Oct. 1 and includes an 8-hour-per-week nurse practitioner and a 40-hour-per-week mental health counselor.

It will also include additional medical positions to provide medical and mental health assessments of inmates earlier in their incarceration.

"We have seen an increase in inmates with behavioral issues due to both mental health issues and drug and alcohol abuse," Kootenai County Sheriff's Office Maj. Kim Edmondson said.

"Our hope is that we can assist in getting inmates either on track or back on track in regard to their mental health and help to provide continuity of care by getting them connected with mental health providers in the community."

The county's current medical services contract with Correctional Care Solutions is for $1.075 million.

Both firms submitted bids.

"CHP was awarded the contract based on both their price and the amount of increased service they will provide," Edmondson said.

County Commissioner Dan Green said he voted in favor of the new contract, but with some hesitation due to the mental health additions.

"It's just another expense for Kootenai County property taxpayers because the situation is not addressed at the state level and falls onto counties," he said. "I don't think it's the role of jails to provide mental health services for inmates. The jail continues to take on roles that it was not designed to do. Some of these people belong in mental health facilities, but due to the lack of such facilities in the state sometimes people are incarcerated in jails."

Edmondson said the county, through a contractor, has and will continue to provide suicide checks and consultations to inmates who are on suicide watch.

She said the sheriff's office attempted to have mental health care added to the contract with CCS two years ago — and commissioners approved the expense — but the company couldn't find someone to fill the part-time position.

"We started down this road on our own without any other pressures at that time and have continued to review costs and options since then," Edmondson said.

She said the number of inmates with mental health issues is on the rise locally and nationally, but putting a number to the local trend is difficult.

"We can demonstrate this (trend) through suicide evaluations that have been requested in the past, but more than anything, it is by our own experience," Edmondson said. "Without having someone here to properly diagnose all of the mental health issues inmates may have, it is hard to be able to have any actual data to provide an accurate stat. Using only the suicide consults misses a lot of other inmates."

Edmondson said adding mental health services should also make it safer for staff and other inmates.

"If we can manage their mental health better, maybe there will be a decrease in use of force," she said. "This will be a bridge for them to access other mental health providers in the community."

Edmondson said she realizes providing mental health services in county jails can be sensitive.

"Some folks believe we are doing too much," she said. "My job is to keep people from coming back here. It's not about making your jail space so terrible that you don't want to come back. That doesn't work anymore. My job is to make sure we meet standards and don't violate Constitutional rights. We can't be the entire answer to mental health, but we need to be a part of it."