Jail board discusses medical transport
BROOKVILLE — The Jefferson County Jail Inspection/Intermediate Punishment Board discussed prisoner transportation at its meeting on Tuesday.
Sheriff Carl Gotwald said that he had concerns about some hiccups with the process of medical transportation of inmates and addressed the issues with representatives of PrimeCare Medical, the company that provides medical services to the jail.
Gotwald opened the conversation by asking why so many of the emergency medical transports for inmates are being done by ambulance when they could potentially be done by an officer in a car.
Chuck Luffey of PrimeCare Medical said that the way that an inmate is transported is at the discretion of the nurse on duty at the time. Luffey said that they typically advise that if the inmate might need treatment on the way to the medical facility, they should be transported by ambulance.
Gotwald asked about the procedure with inmates suffering from seizures. He said that it seemed like too many inmates suffering from seizures were being transported by ambulance when an officer in a car would suffice.
Warden Dustin Myers said that not every seizure that has happened at the jail has gone to the hospital.
Luffey said that they typically advise that the inmate be transported by ambulance if the seizure is long-lasting or frequent. Luffey also said that they will try to streamline the transporting process to help the jail and the county.
Another concern for Gotwald was that officers would arrive at the hospital and not have medical history available or a good grasp of the situation to inform doctors on what care was needed. This problem was especially prevalent when no nurses were in the jail, and those records were not available until one returned the next day.
Gotwald suggested that the nurse could create copies of all inmates medical records in sealed envelopes that the transporting officer can take along and provide to medical professionals. He also said that better communication between jail nurses, corrections officers and sheriff’s deputies would help with the process.
Myers said that his side of the equation took some of the blame, as they need to be better about explaining the situation to the transporting officers.
Luffey said that they would look into figuring out a system that made things simpler at the jail and improved the ability to take care of inmates.
The final concern that Gotwald brought to the representatives of PrimeCare Medical was that an inmate was recently transported to Pittsburgh for a hernia treatment, something he felt could have been done locally.
Luffey said that this situation was likely caused by the inmate already receiving treatment from the doctor in Pittsburgh, and that the continuity of care is typically prioritized. He also said that many doctors are hesitant about taking over for another doctor. In other business:
• The end-of-the-month population report for the Jefferson County Jail was presented at the meeting. The jail began the month with 157 inmates and ended with 143 thanks to 64 new commitments and 78 releases. Ten inmates are being hosted outside of the jail, and of the 133 inmates housed in the jail, 103 are male and 30 are female.
The next meeting of the jail board will be on Tuesday, Nov. 24, at noon at Jefferson Place.