As the Covington County Board of Supervisors continues to discuss the best way to provide health care for the local inmates, the representative of a private agency told the board last week in Collins how his company is handling the same situation in Forrest and Lauderdale counties’ jails.
Adam Brenner of Chattanooga, Tennessee-based Southern Health Partners outlined his company’s procedures for providing services to inmates. However, Brenner did not have any cost figures for inmate health care, and he said a sales representative would contact the Board.
Brenner did lay out savings the company’s work has generated at Forrest General Hospital in Hattiesburg.
“At Forrest General, we average about five inmates a week – even though we try to keep that low – going to the hospital,” he said. “Prior to that, when Forrest General had the contract for the jail, we were sending 20-25 people or more per month to Forrest General for services. Since I took over that jail, I managed to save Forrest County about $400,000 a year. That’s every year moving forward.”
The Forrest County supervisors hired Southern Health Partners in 2017 to provide care at the county facilities for an annual cost of $1.176 million, according to reports. Forrest County Board of Supervisors President David Hogan said the company saved the county money.
Forrest County Supervisor (District 1) Board President David Hogan
“I don’t know the actual amount, but I know there were savings through the company,” he said. “They are in a lot of jails in the Southeast, and they know what they are doing.”
The Forrest County contract has a base proposal of $536,452 and a monthly billing rate of $43,871. The agreement also details a $1.25 per inmate per day over the average daily inmate population of 300.
Brenner told the Covington County supervisors certain patients were able to take advantage of cost savings with their medication.
“For example, for HIV patients who spend the average 17 days in jail, you’re going to be spending $6,000-6,500 a month just for their medications,” he said. “I’ve been able to get that covered through the Health Department. Our providers will come in, give the procedures that previously we had to send them to the emergency room for, and you know how expensive that is.”
Using nurse practitioners to perform simple procedures and in-house laboratory work saves Covington County from going to the emergency room, Brenner said.
“We provide the medical staff, the nurses – RNs and LPNs,” he said. “We provide a local provider unless there is one you like and want to use. We manage everything.”
Covington County Supervisors (District 3) Board President, Jimmy D. White.
Board President Jimmy D. White of District 3 said Southern Health Partners is the first company to contact the supervisors.
“We’ve been having some discussions about the nursing in the jail and where would be the best place to have them treated,” he said. “It costs so much to have the inmates treated.
“We’ve been talking with our local nurse practitioners and our hospital, and they are trying to find out the best way to treat the inmates at the jail.”