BRUNSWICK COUNTY, N.C. (WECT) – Commissioners in Brunswick County are scheduled to discuss the future of health care for inmates at the county detention center during a meeting Monday night.
County Manager Steve Stone is recommending that commissioners approve an agreement with Wellpath LLC to provide inmate health care services at the Brunswick County Detention Center for one year at a value of $2.1 million.
According to agenda documents for Monday’s meeting, five companies responded to the county’s request for proposals for a health care provider for inmates. The document says annual contract values of those proposals ranged from $1.49 million to $2.65 million.
“Sheriff [Brian] Chism is recommending Wellpath due to its proposed staffing plan and types of positions, services provided to both inmates and the Sheriff’s Office, and how they plan to pay and take care of their staff who work in our Detention Center. Their salaries set them apart from other proposals that offered similar services and care,” the document reads.
Wellpath, however, has been a source of controversy at the county and federal levels.
In December of 2023, 12 United States Senators signed a letter raising serious concerns about Wellpath’s operations. These accusations are based on investigations and media reports from across the country in areas where Wellpath is signed on to provide care for inmates.
“A host of federal investigations, press reports, and reports by incarcerated people have revealed apparent deficiencies in Wellpath’s care,” the letter reads.
The letter details accusations claiming Wellpath has delayed and denied care for inmates, subjected inmates to involuntary treatment, failed to provide adequate staffing, and neglected to follow doctors’ treatment plans.
“In some cases, incarcerated individuals have died after not receiving care — such as the reported case of a pretrial detainee with breathing problems who was transferred to a new jail without his CPAP machine and died after Wellpath medical staff declined to provide another one,” the letter reads.
The senators also accused Wellpath of providing inadequate mental health care and inappropriately using restraints and solitary confinement.
“For example, a 2020 DOJ investigation revealed that, under Wellpath, “Massachusetts’ prisons subjected incarcerated people in mental health crisis to prolonged periods of restrictive housing conditions, instead of providing them constitutionally adequate mental health care and supervision,” the letter reads.
While WECT has not found any reports regarding concerns about Wellpath’s operations in Brunswick County, two commissioners say the accusations against Wellpath are concerning.
Commissioner Pat Sykes says she plans to vote against approval of the county’s agreement with Wellpath during Monday’s meeting.
Commissioner Marty Cooke said he had seen the letter and is concerned about it. Commissioner Frank Williams, on the other hand, said he was not familiar with the concerns against Wellpath.
Commissioners Randy Thompson and Mike Forte did not respond to WECT’s request for comment.
Dr. Jody Rich, co-founder of the Center for Health and Justice Transformation, says finding adequate access to health care is an issue for inmates across the country.
“Can we really afford to have health care programs that are not doing this, that are not providing the best possible care, that are not making sure that people are connected to care on the outside?” Rich said.
Rich says local governments should take time to think about the quality of care provided to inmates.
“Just because you are locked up doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be entitled to health care,” said Rich. “That’s a basic human right. I think any community that is paying for their local or state criminal justice system should be very concerned about the type of health care that is provided.”
WECT reached out to a spokesperson for Wellpath for comment but has not received a response.
Brunswick County Commissioners meet at 6 p.m. at 30 Government Center Drive in Bolivia. You can click here to view the agenda.
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