New Prison Health Contractors Moves Into Nine North Florida Facilities

April 16, 2016

A new prison health contractor will begin moving into nine North Florida facilities Saturday, an initial step toward providing care for more than 80,000 inmates, the state Department of Corrections said Friday.

Centurion of Florida will begin what the department described as an “initial transition” into Holmes Correctional Institution, Gulf Correctional Institution, Liberty Correctional Institution, Madison Correctional Institution, Cross City Correctional Institution, Lake Correctional Institution, the Quincy Annex, the Mayo Annex and the Gadsden Re-Entry Center.

The department in January awarded a contract to Centurion of Florida after another firm, Corizon Health, decided to end its contract to provide services to about three-fourths of the state’s inmates. Centurion of Florida will move into 32 other facilities by May 31, the department said.

The award of the contract drew a challenge from Wexford Health Sources, Inc., which provides services to inmates in the rest of the state. But an administrative law judge this month rejected the Wexford challenge.

“Since entering into a contract for comprehensive health care services in January, the department and Centurion have worked collaboratively to ensure proper staffing, the availability of medical resources and a seamless delivery of medical care and services during this transition period,” Corrections Secretary Julie Jones said in a prepared statement Friday. “I am confident that Centurion will produce positive, patient-centered health outcomes for the more than 80,000 inmates under their care.”

by The News Service of Florida

Pictured: The medical unit inside Century Correctional Institution. NorthEscambia.com file photo, click to enlarge.

Comments

5 Responses to “New Prison Health Contractors Moves Into Nine North Florida Facilities”

  1. DW on April 17th, 2016 9:31 am

    I couldn’t agree more with “Chillywilly”. What has happened to FDOC under Rick Scott’s watch is a breath shy of criminal. It’s just another example of robbing state agencies and employees. We need people in office who have not forgotten they are there to serve the best interest of the people….not themselves. You can not bleed agencies and their people dry, and have any expecation that quality employees will stay and we’ll qualified employees will be attracted to state jobs. Instead we as taxpayers pay to settle lawsuits, and keep up old equipment. If Scott wants to privitize state government, let him start with his own security detail.

  2. Josh on April 17th, 2016 8:52 am

    Kevin when you go back to prison maybe you can let us all know how the new company is doing. Because very few of you stay out for long

  3. Kevin on April 16th, 2016 11:28 pm

    Maybe these guys can get the care they deserve. They are human too and deserve to be treated as such. The whole Corizon deal was nothing but chaos.

  4. bill on April 16th, 2016 10:04 pm

    Wow, great news for those with a new free medical care plan…….seems to me I’m missing something (free) that mine doesn’t have included in my plan option

  5. chillywilly on April 16th, 2016 11:06 am

    Welcome to Gov Rick Scotts World, Prison for Profit .NO BID CONTRACTS He is funneling the tax
    payers money to his corporate buddies that provide sub-standard care. I remember when FDOC had very professional and capable medical staff. on state payroll. The nurses fought for years to get the 3 %
    High Risk Retirement just like the officers since they had just as much contact
    with inmates as the officers. within a year FDOC and the Florida Legislators
    terminated all their jobs and let them all go and privatized medical services
    for FDOC. The state just keeps on settling lawsuits when inmates families sue the state, wasting even more of our tax dollars. Gov Scott spends 2 million dollars for a sea wall around a golf course and 1.3 million tax payer dollars to settle lawsuits against him for violating Florida Sunshine laws for open government. By the way State Correctional Officers have not had a raise in nine years. pathetic ,Corrupt and incompetent politicians are destroying our country and state Wake up Vote them out