State does not renew Wellpath contract

Cuts ties with controversial prison health care company

Massachusetts has decided not to renew its contract with Wellpath llC, the controversial private equity-owned health care company that has provided medical services in the state’s prisons for the last six years, the Massachusetts Department of Correction announced friday.

the decision follows Globe reporting that highlighted persistent accusations of inadequate care and staffing in the state’s prisons.

instead, the department awarded a new five-year contract worth about $770 million to VitalCore Health Strategies to provide health care services to the roughly 6,000 people incarcerated in the state’s 10 correctional facilities. the topeka, Kan.-based for-profit currently serves 80,000 incarcerated individuals in 136 facilities across 17 states.

“in correctional settings, the success of the rehabilitative mission relies on a system’s ability to provide quality and compassionate care,” terrence reidy, secretary of Public Safety and Security, said in a press release announcing the decision. “the Massachusetts Department of Correction’s new partnership with VitalCore reflects their deep commitment to delivering holistic healthcare to incarcerated individuals.”

the decision follows a concerted lobbying campaign by prisoner-rights advocates and the state’s two uS senators, who spent much of the bidding period highlighting Wellpath’s troubling record. Critics have accused the company of, among other things, outright denials of care and inappropriate use of restraints and solitary confinement for people with mental health needs.

the lobbying campaign included a rally outside the State House during which former prisoners shared their stories and accused Wellpath llC, owned by the private equity firm H.i.G., of denying them needed care. Senators elizabeth Warren and ed Markey, meanwhile, wrote a pair of letters to Wellpath