By TYLER PRATT • OCT 2, 2019
One-third of San Luis Obispo County jail inmates have mental illness, and half the jail population is either homeless or doesn’t have stable housing on the outside. That's according to county health experts, who said the numbers have held steady even as they work to improve jail healthcare. The county board of supervisors got an update on jail health care this week and discussed ways to keep some of the area’s most vulnerable from ending up behind bars. But not all county jurisdictions are embracing preventative methods.
In February, the San Luis Obispo County Jail made a switch: county staff no longer provide jail health services. Now, Wellpath, a private company, does.
Christy Mulkerin is the chief medical officer for the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office.
"Wellpath utilizes more mid-level practitioners, in addition to physicians,” Mulkerin said. “Which has really enabled us to see more people. It’s a more cost-effective way to deliver primary care.”
Mulkerin said the healthcare services for inmates have almost doubled since the change. They now receive more hours with MDs, psychiatrists and dentists, and all inmates receive a mental health screening. The jail now has the remodeled Behavioral Health Unit, which helps treat inmates with mental health and substance abuse issues. And there’s the new 77-bed Kansas Max Housing Unit, which houses inmates with mental illness, disabilities, and other needs, together, not in isolation.
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