Codington County switches jail healthcare for 2023
The new year will bring a new provider of healthcare to inmates at the Codington County Detention Center.
Sheriff Brad Howell had advised county commissioners earlier this month that current provider Mend Correctional Care of St. Cloud, Minnesota, had declared bankruptcy and would be out of business by year’s end.
On Thursday Howell and Matt Blackwelder, CCDC’s chief corrections officer, sought and received approval from commissioners for the selection of Advanced Correctional Healthcare of Peoria, Illinois, as the new provider. Howell said ACH provides health and mental care for 350 jails and 34,000 inmates.
The selection could cost the county an additional $42,000, which is 23% more than what had been budgeted for 2023. The shortfall will be paid from the Commissioners’ Contingency Fund. Howell said, however, that ACH’s lower cost for prescription medicine may reduce the additional expenditure by almost half.
Howell also said ACH offers better service, including 4 hours per week of mental health training. Doctors will visit CCDC every other week, and a nurse will be at the jail 40 hours a week.
“This is a good thing,” said Commissioner Troy VanDusen. “It costs a lot of money, (but) I think we’re past the days of not having this in our correctional center.”
Commissioner Myron Johnson said surrounding counties that send their inmates to the CCDC should expect an increase in their bills.
“I certainly hope that the counties we contract with for their prisoners understand the services that they’re getting because of this,” said Johnson. “Next year when we decide to give them a big boost in their daily per diem, they’ll know where it’s being spent.”
During his monthly report, Howell said there were “a lot of moving parts” in making the decision to close the county courthouse and offices due to bad weather, which occurred during last week’s freezing rain followed by a blizzard.
When bad weather is in the forecast, Howell said he’s in contact with the National Weather Service in Aberdeen, the S.D. Highway Patrol as well as county department heads Highway Superintendent Rick Hartley, Facilities Manager Steve Molengraaf and Emergency Management Director Andrew Delgado before deciding whether to keep offices open or closed.
The county’s goal is to keep the offices open, but making sure that county employees are able to get home safely is also crucial. Auditor Cindy Brugman also noted that county employees have the option to go home if they do not feel safe staying at work during an emergency.
Howell’s report included his department’s November numbers – 548 cases and calls, 23 accident investigations, 69 warrants served and 151 civil papers served. CCDC’s average daily population was 54.5 inmates, the lowest number in the past 13 months. The high ADP was 61 and the low 50.
The sheriff’s office had 215 bookings in November, and 152 convicted individuals were not incarcerated but were monitored through the county’s various means. The 215 bookings were the highest in the past 13 months.
Commissioners approved a 5.5% cost of living increase for all full-time county employees, including those who are members of unions. Natalie Remund, county Human Services Manager, reviewed all the changes, including increases in sick leave payout for retiring employees, funeral leave, pay step increases and maximum payments for supplemental retirement funds.
And commissioners again revisited the Rural Access Infrastructure Funds (RAIF), provided by the state to assist townships for infrastructure projects such as culverts and bridges. Only one of the county’s 17 townships, Pelican, managed to meet the state’s Oct. 31 application deadline, and commissioners are trying to streamline the application process for township officials.
The county has $299,000 available. Pelican requested $60,000, of which $48,000 will be provided by state funding and the other $12,000 by the township.
“What this needs is someone on the township board who will take the bull by the horns and do it,” said Johnson about the application process. “Unfortunately in many townships there isn’t someone who will do it.”
The commissioners drafted a document they hope will provide guidance to townships for upcoming years of the RAIF program.
At meeting’s end VanDusen, Johnson and commissioners Lee Gabel and Charlie Waterman passed a proclamation praising and honoring outgoing commissioner Brenda Hanten, who is the current chairperson. Hanten chose not to run for another term because she ran unopposed for the position of county auditor. Current auditor Brugman will resign in March, leaving behind 45 years as a county employee, including the last 20 as a highly respected auditor. Hanten will then return to commission meetings but not as a voting member.
The newest commissioner will be Randall Schweer, who ran unopposed to fill Hanten’s vacant seat.
In other actions the commission:
• Allocated $8.6 million in surplus funds to the county’s future building projects. About half of those dollars will be used to pay for HVAC repairs to the CCDC and the courthouse.
• Appointed Jennifer Goldhammer to a 3-year term on the Codington County Board of Mental Illness.
• Noted that the Magic Needlers Quilt Guild will be hosting a raffle from Feb. 1 through Nov. 4 of 2023.
This article originally appeared on Watertown Public Opinion: Codington County switches jail healthcare for 2023
