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County looks at inmate health care
Published Wednesday, July 7, 2010
By Cain Madden
The Natchez Democrat
NATCHEZ — Inmates at the Adams County Jail could soon receive health care from a Chattanooga, Tenn., based company at an approximate cost of $70,000 a year.
The Adams County Sheriff’s Office currently contracts with a local nurse practitioner directly, but at a cost of approximately $20,000 more, the county could contract with Southern Health Partners, who would be able to provide more hours of care and cover the costs of medicine.
But taking inmate health liability off of the Adams County Board of Supervisors and the sheriff’s office is the biggest concern, Sheriff Chuck Mayfield said.
“We approximate what we currently pay is about $50,000 a year, but when you factor in medicine costs it likely goes up,” Mayfield said. “And you never know, you could get an inmate in there that could run the costs way up with a lawsuit.”
Board President Darryl Grennell said the board would allow legal council to review the contract.
Marketing Representative John Hamm said if the county accepts the health care proposal, the inmate health care company would hire from a pool of local physicians.
In other news, Supervisor Henry Watts motioned that the county serve as a grant applicant on behalf of the Judge George Armstrong Library, so the library could potentially install a new air conditioning unit, and the motion was unanimously approved by the board.
The Mississippi Development Authority is offering an Energy Efficiency Block Grant, which could award the library up to $175,000, Southwest Planning and Development District grant writer Alan Laird said. Laird estimated the library would only need $90,000 for the project.
“The MDA discovered that it did not have enough applicants to allocate all of the money it had available during the first round,” Laird said. “With the money left over, they decided to offer a round two.”
In the first round, the City of Natchez applied for light-emitting diodes to replace the city’s traffic lights. Since the city could not apply for the grant twice, Laird asked if the supervisors would act on behalf of the library.
Laird said the only costs that the county could incur are advertising costs to hire a contractor for the project, but Watts’ motion stated that the county would bill the city for those costs.
4 The board voted to hire a certified public accountant to help road department secretary Sylvia Bunch put together the information MEMA needs to reimburse the county for expenses during Hurricane Gustav.
The board previously named Handjis and Company to do the work, but the firm declined.
4 The board adopted memorial resolutions for former Drug Enforcement Administration agent Rex Smith and long-time local Red Cross volunteer Don Winters.
4 Board Attorney Bobby Cox checked into the legality of accepting personal and business checks at the Adams County Justice Court Office and discovered that it was legal.
Cox will next look into the legality of using a computer system that verifies the information on the checks in the office.
Grennell said he was concerned that it was against the law for a government body to pay the fees associated with acquiring the information. Years ago, he said the county was unable to accept credit cards in the tax collector’s office because a government body could not legally pay the fees companies charge to process the card.
Stores pay a fee to allow customers to pay with a credit card, as the companies who operate the machines used to swipe cards charge a fee for the service.
Watts said it was important for justice court to use every avenue available to potentially get money because of the estimated millions of dollars that remain uncollected.
4 The board approved travel for the purchasing and inventory clerk to attend the Mississippi Association of Government Purchasing and Property Agents 2010 annual conference in Biloxi Oct. 25-29.
Comments
Posted by cosmicdust (anonymous) on July 6, 2010 at 11:50 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Fine them when they come to jail and pay the premium with the fines..why should the taxpayers pay?
Posted by hippy (anonymous) on July 7, 2010 at 12:47 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Stop locking up nonviolent drug users and that will cut your total incarceration costs in half at least. But then they might actually have to catch some real criminals and that would just be too much like right and a little bit too complicated for the current cowboys to handle. Ill be so glad when the next election rolls around so we can vote these idiotic cowboyhats out of office.
Posted by skittles (anonymous) on July 7, 2010 at 5:12 a.m.
(This comment was removed by the site staff.)
Posted by jrn59 (anonymous) on July 7, 2010 at 6:09 a.m. (Suggest removal)
How come they are not getting obamacare?
Posted by Sailaway2 (anonymous) on July 7, 2010 at 7:42 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Pay criminal fines by personal check? Another far sighted brilliant move by our Supervisors. Why not a debit card from the bank where you can get instant verification? And why not expand your legislative control over the judicary to include the hundreds of thousands owed to Circuit Court for felony convictions? Nooooo instead you only and always pick on Justice Court!! I am sure this will be a great way for embezzlers, con-artists, drug dealers, and drunk drivers to pay.
Posted by SIOUXLADY (anonymous) on July 7, 2010 at 8:52 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Fines and Restitution money could pay for the meds if they got them while incarcerated.
Posted by sandra (anonymous) on July 7, 2010 at 8:57 a.m. (Suggest removal)
the number in nashville to call for information on check writing is: 615-862-6151. that is the director of finance. if they accept checks, he might, know about it or tell you someone else who might know. notice that repetitive word, "might".
the "check verifier system" works quite well. i don't think it costs like debit card transactions.
debit card transactions can prove to be costly on small purchases. say i buy $7.00 worth of goods at your store and use my card, you are losing .50 or .75 profit each time a customer uses those cards. debit:.50, credit:.75. those costs may vary from city to city according to the provider that is used. i'm familiar with local charges here, only. in rip-off-ville, tennessee.
Posted by natchezsouthside (anonymous) on July 7, 2010 at 9:48 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Interesting. Yesterday David Vitter has an editorial about tax payers footing the bill for government run flood insurance--no comments on this site. (of course David is also against government run insurance so I can't explain his flipping and flopping--Seniors should be aware that David will support killing Medicare)
People who live in flood prone areas--and no one is required to live in those areas--can get all the tax money they want.
Today we read above that taxpayers are unhappy that we are footing the bill for prisoners.
So to be clear, yes to tax payers paying for morons living in flood plains and no to tax payers paying for morons in prison.
Huh.
Posted by revols (anonymous) on July 7, 2010 at 11:35 a.m. (Suggest removal)
The inmates in the Adams County jail are indigent, else they would make bail. Virtually none of them are actually serving a sentence, they're waiting on the outcome of a felony proceeding.
You can fine them as much as you want, charge them as much as you want, but you won't collect it. The whole, "Make them pay or they get nothing" will cost the tax payers more in law suits, like it or not.
Posted by erohed (anonymous) on July 7, 2010 at 12:25 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Reads good to me.
Posted by natchezsouthside (anonymous) on July 7, 2010 at 1:42 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Indigent? So? Not my problem.
There are plenty of crops to pick. Go out and work in a field.
If the illegals can come here and find a job so can some dirtbag crook.
Posted by steve_o (anonymous) on July 7, 2010 at 9:04 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I'm more confused than ever.
1).."Inmates at the Adams County Jail could soon receive health care from a Chattanooga, Tenn., based company at an approximate cost of $70,000 a year".. thats $192 a day.
2).."The Adams County Sheriff’s Office currently contracts with a local nurse practitioner directly, but at a cost of approximately $20,000 more.".. thats $247 a day.
3).. “We approximate what we currently pay is about $50,000 a year, but when you factor in medicine costs it likely goes up,”.. thats $137 a day (not factoring in medicine)
4).."Marketing Representative John Hamm said if the county accepts the health care proposal, the inmate health care company would hire from a pool of local physicians."
A pool of local physicians over a nurse practitioner(#2)?
Am I missing something here?
Posted by Witchyluck (anonymous) on July 7, 2010 at 9:23 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Exactly what crops would you have these 'crooks' pick, Southside? I have not seen any field crops being hand picked in this area, but perhaps I don't get out enough. There are actually a fairly limited number of things that are hand harvested anymore (strawberries, broccoli and celery spring to mind) and I don't know of anyone growing a great quantity of those things in this area.
For the rest of you...Last year, due to a fairly ridiculous situation beyond my control, my drivers license was suspended. It was wrong and has since been staightened out, but it took several months. In the interm I still had to get to work and back and to the store and Dr.s, so sometimes I drove. I was stopped twice (roadblocks). Anyone driving on a suspended license is supposed to be taken immeadiately to jail. (I was fortunate--they really don't like to jail little old ladies--and it never happened) but had I been incarcerated, it would be nice to think that I would still be able to have my medication (diabetes, blood pressure, heart, etc.).
Posted by steve_o (anonymous) on July 7, 2010 at 9:27 p.m. (Suggest removal)
And to ice the cake we have this:
"The Mississippi Development Authority is offering an Energy Efficiency Block Grant, which could award the library up to $175,000, Southwest Planning and Development District grant writer Alan Laird said. Laird estimated the library would only need $90,000 for the project.
“The MDA discovered that it did not have enough applicants to allocate all of the money it had available during the first round,” Laird said. “With the money left over, they decided to offer a round two.”
In the first round, the City of Natchez applied for light-emitting diodes to replace the city’s traffic lights. Since the city could not apply for the grant twice, Laird asked if the supervisors would act on behalf of the library.
Laird said the only costs that the county could incur are advertising costs to hire a contractor for the project, but Watts’ motion stated that the county would bill the city for those costs"
So, the library needs some air and can't get it on their own, city is waiting on a response to their light emitting street lights request.
So...Let's get the county to vouch for it and then bill back the city for it.
Is this how it works?
Posted by cosmicdust (anonymous) on July 7, 2010 at 10:29 p.m. (Suggest removal)
When all the jobs are gone and people don,t have money all this will be rubbish,it just won,t matter.
Posted by natchezsouthside (anonymous) on July 8, 2010 at 11:24 a.m. (Suggest removal)
there are crops to pick all over the USA. Illegals aliens come to the USA and migrate--hence they are called migrants--and pick apples in Maine, oranges in Fla. and Ca. Tobacco in NC.
How is it illegal aliens can find these crops and lazy SOBs here can't find a job working in a field.
Oh, and there are tons of farms here in Miss.--in case you hadn't heard--Miss grows cotton...
Posted by Crakalakin (anonymous) on July 8, 2010 at 4:06 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Posted by natchezsouthside -
"there are crops to pick all over the USA. Illegals aliens come to the USA and migrate--hence they are called migrants--and pick apples in Maine, oranges in Fla. and Ca. Tobacco in NC.
How is it illegal aliens can find these crops and lazy SOBs here can't find a job working in a field.
Oh, and there are tons of farms here in Miss.--in case you hadn't heard--Miss grows cotton..."
Drive through Tallulah at picking time. Locals drinking beer and polishing their wheels on your dime while Mexicans do the farm work.
Posted by outsider (anonymous) on July 8, 2010 at 6:13 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I dont know about ya'll but everytime i go to Mcdonald's, Burgerking, Taco Bell, and Wendys they are ALWAYS short handed and need help. Nobody can say we have a shortage in jobs around here. Lots of people are just too lazy to get out there and make a real living. Honestly I don't believe people in prison, and some cases in jail, should get all of the good treatment they get. They are living in good conditions. They get three meals a day. A place to sleep. And they get baths. Most really poor people don't even have it that good. So does that mean a person needs to go out and commit a crime so they can get special treatment???
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