Every morning
there are roughly between thirty and forty blue
"sick-call" slips awaiting the arrival of Janet Gable, at
Pitt County Detention Center of New Hope road,
Greenville, NC. Gable is the Nursing Supervisor for the
healthcare department of the jail. Here the average
inmate serves anywhere from 48 hours, to 4 years.
If at any time during their stay, should an inmate seek
medical attention, they follow a simple process. First
they fill out a "sick-call" slip, and pay a mere $10
copay. But who is paying the rest of the bill?
SCREENING NEW ARRIVALS
The Pitt County Detention Center is home to over 400
prisoners, ages 17 and up. Upon arrival, each inmate is
screened with a physical, and any medical history is
recorded. If they did have any type of medical insurance
before becoming incarcerated, it becomes null and void.
The health care within the prison system is a separate
entity.
Every kind of health care is offered within the prison
walls except for surgeries. This includes prenatal care
for pregnant women as well as dental and psychiatric
services. If an inmate suffers from preexisting
conditions, their care is continuously maintained and
even assisted through the same doctors they had when
diagnosed, before becoming incarcerated.
A WIDE RANGE OF
CARE
The prison offers long term care for major conditions
as well as maintenance care. For serious medical
conditions a prisoner may be sent to a specialist,
depending upon the circumstances.
The inmates pay the copay and that's it. A $10 copay is
less than many law- abiding citizens pay under their
limiting health insurance plans. The inmate's family
members are not responsible for paying for the services
rendered. No inmate is denied access to medical care due
to an inability to pay. They are not charged copay fees
for emergency medical services. So who does pay?
Janet Gable is employed by an outside company, and
contracted to provide healthcare at Pitt County Detention
Center. When asked if she feels that the public may
consider the essentially free healthcare at a prison
institution a benefit, she replied,
"Absolutely! These people do not take care of themselves
out on the streets, they've generally got no money to pay
for medical care. We keep them warm, fed, and healthily
maintained."
In the regard, this has got to be create an
amazing burden on the healthcare system overall. Is all
this being paid for with the hard-earned tax dollars of
John Q. American?
Well, in cases where HIV/AIDS is involved, the medical
expense becomes the responsibility of the county. The
U.S. Marshals fronts the bill for any preexisting
conditions.
CAPPING THE COSTS OF THE
CLINKING SOUND OF CASH REGISTER
For you and me, the sound of cash
registers, ka-ching ka-ching, goes rolling through our
minds. So what is being done to lower the costs, or cap
the costs of medical care in the Pitt County Detention
Center?
First, Gable and staff provide physicals for each inmate.
While Meningitis, Flu, and Mumps/ Rubella vaccines are
not offered, TB tests are. In the Pitt County Detention
Center, only one percent of inmates have infectious,
life-threatening diseases. Gable states that there are
policies and procedures specifically designed to sanitize
areas where infectious diseases can be incubated.
An inmate is encouraged to shower regularly, and maintain
good personal hygiene. Clothing and linen are washed
twice per week. If an inmate cannot afford personal items
they are supplied with indigent soap, toothbrush,
toothpaste etc.
These are the measures taken to reduce the costs of
health care in this prison system.
READER: SERVE "YOUR
TIME"
In light of all this, it seems your health insurance
worries may be over. Don't waste another dime on health
insurance, just go serve your time. While you pay your
debt to society, society will pay your way toward perfect
health.
It's just that simple. Move into the big-house and be
carefree. So, do not pass go, do not collect $200, you're
on your way to jail! But I recommend you hold onto your
'get out of jail free' card, just in case.
