Behind the Badge | Receiving Accreditation

BEHIND THE BADGE

Receiving Our Accreditation with National Commission on Correctional Health Care

BY IAN PARKINSON • SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTY SHERIFF

The Sheriff’s Office received an early present this holiday season. But it wasn’t just gifted to us. We earned it. And we sure are proud of it. In short, the County Jail recently received national recognition for its health care services. Now here’s the longer version. The National Commission on Correctional Health Care has awarded national accreditation to the Jail for demonstrating compliance with NCCHC’s nationally recognized standards of care for correctional health services in jails.

Basically, this accreditation recognizes the Jail’s commitment to providing quality health services for the inmate population. To get to this point was not easy. Several years ago, we recognized that our health services needed to improve in the Jail. That’s when I hired a Chief Medical Officer to oversee all health care in the Jail, created a behavioral health unit to help those inmates with mental health issues, instituted inmate programs that have gone on to be nationally recognized, and outsourced all of our health care to Wellpath, a well-respected company that specializes in health care in correctional facilities. Our goal at the time was to achieve national accreditation. To be recognized for the high standards we’ve met for delivering health care to the inmate population.

This process was not easy. To receive accreditation from NCCHC, the Jail underwent a rigorous professional assessment. During the assessment, a team of experienced physicians and experts in correctional health care surveyed the facility for compliance with jail-specific standards in several areas such as patient care and treatment, health promotion, safety and disease prevention, governance and administration, personnel and training, special needs and services, and medical-legal issues.

Why the NCCHC? Well, for 40 years, NCCHC’s highly respected standards have provided guidance to help correctional health professionals and administrators improve the health of their jail populations and the communities to which they return, increase efficiency of health services delivery, and strengthen organizational effectiveness.

It was a daunting and arduous task. Everything we did in the Jail that was health related was put under the microscope. The COVID pandemic created its own set of unique challenges to the process. It definitely slowed the process down, but it did not diminish our determination to achieve accreditation. it was only through a coordinated effort by custody staff and Wellpath that made accreditation possible.

What many don’t realize is we have a constitutional obligation to provide health care to those in our Jail. And I think we are committed to providing that health care with innovation, excellence, and efficiency. That’s why I salute our health care provider Wellpath, our custody staff, and leadership for their hard work and dedication on behalf of our patients.

Correctional Captain Stephanie Landgraf oversees the entire Jail facility and is part of a new generation in the ways we think about a correctional facility and how it should operate. She was instrumental in making sure we received this national honor of accreditation. I think she said it best, “This is a great example of the county and the Sheriff’s Office commitment to a safe and healthy County Jail that meets the changing and sometimes challenging demands of health care across the country.” 