Jail’s Turn Key Health contract to boost medical personnel

Turn Key Health Clinics, in response to a rising jail population, promised the Board of County Commissioners on Tuesday it will add medical personnel and service hours.

The clinic is the contracted medical services provider for the county detention center, other jails throughout the state and other regions of the U.S.

A presentation by Rhett Burnett, the provider's director of client relations, outlined proposed changes to the contract, which expires June 30.

Burnett told commissioners the provider planned to add "two positions at night time and increased medical and mental health hours."

"The need for this is specifically due to the number of inmates being housed there as an example of our monthly average daily population, the number of average intake screenings between 2019 to now," Burnett said.

There was no mention during the hour-long meeting of two female inmates who died within 12 days of each other in December.

Friends and family of Shannon Hanchett and Kathryn Milano contend both women did not receive adequate medical attention during their detention.

Hanchett, a 38-year-old Norman business owner, was found dead in her jail cell on Dec. 8, nearly two weeks after being arrested. Friends told The Transcript she called police on the night she was arrested on complaints of making false 911 calls and obstructing an officer because she was having a "mental health crisis."

She was scheduled to have a mental health evaluation the morning she died, a detention facility incident report obtained by The Transcript shows.

Noble resident Kathryn Milano, 66, died Dec. 20 after suffering a medical emergency "related to pre-existing medical conditions," the Cleveland County Sheriff's Office reported Dec. 29.

"She was transported to a local hospital, where she was admitted," the sheriff's office reported. "Unfortunately, she passed away later that day."

Stacy Shelton, a Milano family spokesperson disputed the report, citing medical records, including EMS reports, from the day of her death. Her family has said the jail did not provide her with the proper mental and physical health care" she needed while in custody.

"I think the two recent deaths in the jail have put a highlight on our medical provision – as it should," Sheriff Chris Amason told The Transcript.

A copy of the meeting presentation obtained by The Transcript shows a sharp increase in jail intake screenings and patients receiving medications between 2021 and 2022. Sick calls jumped during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and continued to climb upward through last year, according to the presentation.

Amason said after the meeting the jail population declined during the pandemic because warrants weren't being issued, courts were closed or limited operations and people stayed home to avoid the illness.

"When I came in as sheriff we were right in the midst of covid," Amason said. "The numbers were down. The courts weren't doing a lot of court cases, a lot of people weren't being picked up on warrants. So, I think a lot of that is catch up."

Now, crime and punishment are back in business.

"Today we’re at 490 inmates," Amason said.

The jail does the best it can, with the budget it has, to offer the most services possible to inmates, he said.

Part of the jail population increase and related overhead costs is attributed to holding state and federal detainees until those agencies pick up the offenders, Amason said.

The jail is currently holding 58 state prison inmates and 76 federal inmates, he said.

The rates those agencies pay are below the average daily rate of $62, as little as $25 a day for state prisoners, he said. The daily rate for state offenders is set by state law and the federal rate by contract."

"It's a much lower rate than our average daily rate," he said. "So, it's actually better for them, cheaper to keep them there as long as they can. I understand that, but it causes a burden because I’m getting paid less than the actual cost."

The federal government pays between $55 and $60 for federal inmates, Amason said.

When asked if Turn Key had recently reevaluated staff levels at his request or because of the Hanchett and Milano deaths, Amason said no, because the contract review and budget process, which includes staffing levels, is already underway.

"That starts about this time of year," Amason said.

Amason said he told the company before the two deaths that he wanted to explore a full-time mental health staff position last year during discussions about American Rescue Plan Act fund goals for his department.

The department has discussed mental health service expansion to be paid for with ARPA money.

"I did tell them that I was considering bringing my own full-time licensed mental health provider out of my budget," Amason said. "That was one of the reasons I chose not to do that at this time because it's something I need to look at in the next budget year. It was when we started talking about the expansion of mental health treatment for the jail."

Amason said he also tried to "negotiate for a registered nurse 24/7 and at that time it was just too cost prohibitive as it is."

Amason said he believes Turn Key keeps staff levels in mind throughout the year.

"I really can't speak for Turn Key, but I think they’re constantly evaluating our needs," Amason said.

Mindy Wood covers City and County government news and notable lawsuits for The Transcript. Reach her at [email protected] or 405-416-4420.

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