The Delaware Department of Correction has selected a new organization for the state’s seven-figure contract to provide health care services to those imprisoned by the state.
On Friday, state correction officials announced they had signed a three-year contract with VitalCore Health Strategies, a Kansas-based company that conducts similar services in 100 lockup facilities across 15 states.
Why does this matter: The administration of health care services to prisoners is integral to both their well-being in prison and health when they leave, as well as in addressing things like substance abuse, which drives individuals back into prison. The contract’s value, totaling more than $220 million over three years, is also a significant state expenditure.
What exactly is the job: In Delaware, VitalCore will be responsible for administering the health care regime in the state’s four prisons and probation lockups. This largely entails employing individuals to manage prisoners’ everyday health care needs. This includes everything from everyday pharmacy services, responding to sick calls, dental care and diagnosing serious health problems. These responsibilities also include facilitating outside-of-prison specialist care when necessary.
Drug treatment is also important: Per a separate contract, VitalCore will also administer behavioral care and substance abuse treatment that is sometimes part of prisoners’ individual sentences and is often part of the factors that led them to break the law and go to prison in the first place.
How much does this cost?
The two services are both subject to individual contracts that run for three years with options to renew. The contracts represent an increase in the amount to be paid by the state for those services.
The prior health care provider, Centurion of Delaware, was paid $47.8 million annually for health care services at $21.1 million for behavioral care, according to the organization’s 2020 agreement with the state. VitalCore will be paid $49.2 million annually for health care and $25.2 million for behavioral health and substance abuse treatment services.
Monroe Hudson, Delaware Department of Correction commissioner, said in a news release that VitalCore has “developed a strong track record of success providing high quality medical and behavioral healthcare to patients.”
The contracts were signed after a competitive bidding process that included proposals from four different companies.
One of those bidders was the current health care provider: Centurion of Delaware. Centurion’s contract, which expires this year, included a provision for officials to renew the contract instead of going through the public bidding process.
In a news release announcing the contract with VitalCore, Jason Miller, a DOC spokesperson, wrote the department “acknowledges” Centrion’s work through the pandemic period, reworking the state’s correction systems substance abuse treatment program and other “innovations.”
A fraught past
The administration of health care services to Delaware prisoners has been a fraught issue for years. Before Centurion, services were administered by Connections Community Support programs.
Connections faced multiple high-profile lawsuit settlements regarding problems with its administration of health care services in prison.
- Those lawsuits included allegations like that employees negligently allowed an agonized man to die of a ruptured stomach ulcer.
- The organization was also the subject of several employee lawsuits and lawsuits from hospitals that were owed money by the nonprofit.
- Connections Community Support Programs was also slapped with a federal lawsuit in April 2021 for defrauding the federal government out of more than $4.5 million as part of other state contracts outside the prison.
- The nonprofit’s founder and CEO Cathy Devaney McKay was among leadership officials charged with failing to delegate responsibility for following federal laws when dealing with narcotics.
She settled her case, agreeing to pay $300,000 and Connections as an organization agreed to a $15 million settlement. After being sued by federal officials, the nonprofit declared bankruptcy.
Prison officials ended its contract with Connections early and picked Centurion as a replacement in 2020.
RELATED: Connections reaches $15.3M settlement on federal fraud, narcotics distribution lawsuits
Centurion also controversial
Prisoners interviewed by Delaware Online/The News Journal said little changed between Connections and Centurion as it related to the quality of health care services.
- They said delays and mix-ups regarding routine sick calls were frequent.
- Some complained that their need to see an outside health care specialist for painful or worsening conditions could take more than a year.
- Others complained of chaos within the prison system’s substance abuse system driven by the ouster of certain employees.
- Centurion is also the target of multiple lawsuits by prisoners, including a large-scale lawsuit over care during the COVID-19 pandemic and the withholding of pain-care medication.
- Prison officials last year acknowledged corrective action plans being put in place regarding Centurion staffing in a meeting with state lawmakers.
In a press release announcing the hiring of VitalCore, officials said their contract will begin in July. VitalCore has also faced large-scale lawsuits over its handling of prisoner healthcare in other states.
Contact Xerxes Wilson at (302) 324-2787 or xwilson@delawareonline.com. Follow @Ber_Xerxes on Twitter. Delaware prisoners may also contact Xerxes Wilson on the GettingOut app.
