Santa Barbara County’s jail health care provider has come under fire several times, leading the county to seek a new provider, but Wellpath is now reporting that increased staffing has helped to improve some of its issues regarding inmate care.
On Tuesday, the county Board of Supervisors received an annual report from Wellpath about the care it provided in 2023, including expanding the Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) program, implementing three new behavioral health units, and helping patients when they transition out of jail.
Wellpath has been the county’s jail health care provider since 2017, but there have been several issues, including staff shortages and compliance failures. The county’s contract with Wellpath is set to expire March 31.
It also provides medical care to the Susan J. Gionfriddo Juvenile Justice Center and was providing services to the Los Prietos Boys Camp before it closed.
The Sheriff’s Office also presented a grievances report outlining all of the complaints that patients in the jails had with Wellpath in 2023.
Last year, Wellpath increased its services at the juvenile center. Dr. Carrick Adam with Wellpath said that after a study in 2022, it found that a third of the Juvenile Center inmates used opioids within the past year.
In 2023, it had 16 adolescent patients go through the Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) program. This year, it already has had 12 patients go through the program, according to Adam.
MAT uses clinically proven medications to treat substance use disorders. It already has been used in the jails, and last year, Wellpath expanded the number of patients in the program, serving a total of 223 patients.
While Wellpath has been able to treat more patients, the county department of Behavioral Wellness reported some compliance failures when it came to assessing inmates on suicide watch.
Last year, there were five deaths in Santa Barbara County jails — two suicides, two drug overdoses and one alcohol withdrawal.
Santa Barbara County Second District Supervisor Laura Capps noted that Public Health and Behavioral Wellness found that check-ins for inmates who attempted suicide were scheduled but completed late or not at all.
Brian Smith, Wellpath’s regional director of operations, said it is a high priority to check in on patients released from suicide watch but that staff were busy in other areas.
“That is a deficiency that has now been corrected. Our mental health staff have been reorganized to ensure that they’re doing that,” Smith said.
He also noted that they’ve been able to fix this issue thanks to the additional staffing that the board approved earlier this year. Now, patients are receiving follow-ups within 24 hours, three days and seven days after an attempted suicide.
One way Wellpath is trying to improve services is through implementation of monthly meetings of a Medical Advisory Committee. Smith said the meetings focus on tracking success and areas for improvement.
Wellpath, the Sheriff’s Office, Public Health, Behavioral Wellness and county staff are all part of the committee. Smith said they are analyzing frequent issues to identify areas for improvement.
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