According to the AJC who quoted a sheriff's department spokesman, the cost of the jail's infirmary and clinic will cost the taxpayers 40 million dollars over the next 5 years, or 8 million dollars per year.
The county jail was built to house 3700 inmates. At 8 million dollars a year, that is roughly $2,162 per inmate a year for medical cost.
The proposed contributions to Grady Hospital operations in 2011 by Burrell Ellis is 13 million dollars. The population of DeKalb County is roughly 740,000. So, that would be about $17.50 per citizen a year for medical cost. A difference of $2144 per year.
This does not include the cost when the jail medical staff refuses someone who has been arrested, and the police department has to transport them to Grady hospital, and guard them until they are medically cleared. If the medical condition is something minor, it can take up to 24 hours or longer for them to be released by Grady medical staff.
If there ever needed to be an outside investigation into corruption of our elected officials, from the sheriff to each and every commissioner, the time is now.
Like they say, "follow the money".
Friday, January 28, 2011
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18 comments:
I wonder if lil Vernon has any ex-consultants that work for Correctional Care Solutions? You know, for that kinda money they should treat all the jail employees for free as well.
This is another prime example of putting $6000 worth of custom wheels and tires on a $500 car and stepping back and saying "look at what I got". Another prime example of utterly screwed up priorities and waste of taxpayers money so some high ranking elected official can say "and we have a state of the art inmate housing center (jail) with is own multimillion dollar medical facility on site".
It makes me want to vomit!
Yes, this does sound like excessive costs, but I did not believe the whole story is being told here. Medical costs are not cheap, especially when a hospital is involved. I am not sticking up for the sheriff, but more infomation is needed here to complete this story.
Why doesn't other counties contribute to Grady, especially Clayton? Since these other counties use Grady's service? Clayton county is a large user of Grady, and yet, no monies are paid to Grady. Now, there is a problem.
We can all bitch loudly, but unless we all know what the truth is, we are back to premise of:
Your story, My story, The right story, and The Government's story.
End of subject !!
It's not about Grady stupid, it's about the incomprehensible amount of money being spent on inmates....if it is actually spent on inmates or going into someones pockeet
Is now the time for me to start commenting again?
Frigging crooks get better care than I do. I don't spend that much a year on my own medical except the premiums.
Ben Dover........Everyone is waiting for you to say something !!
Whether or not it is worth while saying, remains to be heard.
We're waiting Ben.....
They don't get any medical care at the jail..The nurse wouldn't know a elbow from an asshole..All they ever do is say YOU WILL NEED TO TAKE THEM TO GRADY. Hell I can say that and for alot cheaper than what Brown is paying for it now. Someone needs to look into where all the money for medical care is going cause Grady is the only one that even looks at the J-1. All the nurse does is say whats wrong. Oh I got a tummy ache, or my head hurts or my chest hurts...and she replies. "Take him/her to Grady". And the perp laughes all the way there..12 hours later we bring him/her back. No medical treatment rendered, they just checked the vitals and say nothings wrong with him/her, sign a sheet of paper and back we go (or another officer goes cause my shift ended 7 hrs ago)to the jail...This has been going on for 20 yrs. SO WHO THE HELL IS GETTING THE MONEY FOR MEDICAL CARE. ALL THE NURSE DOES IS GIVE OUT ASPRINS AND TAKE BLOOD PRESSURE...CRIME GOING ON RIGHT IN OUR OWN BACK DOOR...SOMEONE IS GETTING THEIR POCKETS LINED WITH TAX PAYING DOLLARS..HOW BOUT IT SHERIFF BROWN, ANY IDEA WHO THAT SOMEONE IS?????????? HEY I GOT AN IDEA LETS JUST START RELEASING THE J-1 WHEN THE NURSE REFUSES. THEN WATCH HOW FAST THEY GET BETTER AND WALK DOWN MEMORIAL DRIVE UNTIL THERE BUDDY PICKS THEM UP. HEY MAYBE HAVE CH.2 OUT THERE WITH A CAMERA...THEY CAN TACK IT ONTO THE SOLICITOR GOING TO THE HOSPITAL AND BEING RELEASED STORY...HAAAA THIS COUNTY IS A JOKE....
"Frigging crooks get better care than I do." ?? Friggin crooks GET care, which I don't, because I can't afford health care premiums. What's wrong with this picture???
Dont forget that the jail medical staff are the bottom of the barrel. The staff and the doctors are ones that could not get a job at a nursing home because they are terrible. They call for fire for a person with a headache. I have seen a person that was so cold her was almost dead due to their care.
DeKalb County for years has been trying to get the state ans surrounding counties to help defray the cost of Grady.
The County is contractually bound to pay for Grady ( much less than Fulton pays.
Cost of inmate care is outrageous but MANDATED by the feds. You have to look no farther than the Fulton County Jail.
Is it fair? No but it is an obligation that the County must pay.
Tom Brown is a constitutional officer and the County in reality has little say in what he demands for his operating budget.
Same holds true for the Court System. By State law they must be funded.
_
My name says it all!
Some one said inmates medical care cost more than theirs and you right. You are so right, cause you don't have AIDS/HIV, you are not on dialysis, you are probaly not a diabetic, you probaly don't need treatment for gunshot wounds. Add those things up alone and times that by, on the low end by 500. What is the cost then? Even though 8 million sounds like an ungodly amount but it is really cheap. This didn't start with Thomas Brown, anyone remember the medical lawsuit against Sid Dorsey. That's why this treatment is mandatory by law. How much does it cost to have a baby? How much is cancer treatment? Whatever medical problems you can think of, an inmate has it. That's why some of you shadow thinking indiviuals are where you are at and will stay, a road officer cause you don't think about the whole picture but only what you hear. No I'm not the Sheriff but do understand the cost to operate a jail.
To Anon 4:54 PM
How exactly does one become a "shadow thinker"? What exactly is that anyway?
If I work really hard and become a shadow thinker, will I get a cape and a mask and be a comic book super hero? Or, will I just get to maintain my job shoveling sh*t into and out of police vehicles and watching this county disolve into the preverse, politically correct excuse for what it used to be before idiots like you were even considered as possible hires.
YOU are the problem with Dekalb County.
A bit off topic, but basically more shenanigans by the BOC (Bunch Of Crooks):
http://www.crossroadsnews.com/view/full_story/11156616/article-Furniture-policy-costly-for-DeKalb?instance=lead_story_left_column
..."you probaly don't need treatment for gunshot wounds".
Gun shot Wounds?.....you guy's need to go to the range more, learn to shoot a better shot pattern. That may drop the medical contract a bit.
WOW! health care at the jail is lining the pockets of Tom Brown do you ready believe that??? Maybe you should consider staying in uniform, I don't think CID need your investigative skills.Can anyone take that knife out of the back an no I don't work at SO. Damn!
Please, please, please investigate issues before you comment on them. Eight million dollars is extremely cheap for a facility that houses that many inmates. For the officers that are just complaining about what happens at intake, you have NO idea what happens inside the jail with sick and even terminal inmates. Fulton County Jail pays even more (approximately 11 million) for their medical contract and they house about 2800 inmates versus the 3300 at DeKalb. Hiring a private vendor to perform medical services is now common place to help protect the Sheriff's offices from lawsuits (like the one that was brought against Dorsey). Every County Jail in the metro Atlanta area and most outside of the area also have contracted medical services. The only reason this was in the newspaper was because the Sheriff just contracted with a new vendor. Also if the agency is an accredited agency there are requirements that have to be met in order to retain that accreditation, one of which requires the refusal of inmates at intake that make certain complaints. Of course frequent flier inmates do realize that and take advantage of the situation, but the medical staff isn't going to risk losing accreditation for that one inmate that might not be faking.
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