ASHEVILLE, N.C. (WLOS) — The Buncombe County Detention Facility has launched a new partnership with correctional healthcare provider Wellpath in a move that officials say will improve mental health care, increase nursing staff and enhance safety inside the jail.
The partnership officially took effect July 1, with Wellpath replacing the facility’s previous healthcare provider under a two-year contract that runs through June 30, 2028.
Sheriff Quentin Miller said the new provider is better equipped to meet the growing healthcare needs of the jail population, particularly detainees experiencing mental illness.
“We have like 234 people that have been labeled, if you will, with mental health issues, and so this provides us opportunity to work with someone who has the staff to help us meet those needs,” Sheriff Miller said.
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According to the Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office, Wellpath is contracted to provide 26.8 full-time equivalent healthcare positions. Officials said the biggest difference is Wellpath’s commitment to keeping those positions filled.
Major Jillian Banks said mental health has become one of the jail’s biggest challenges, alongside overcrowding.
“Overcrowding is number one. Another concern is the mental health piece, because our detainees, we have so many of them that need mental health and shouldn’t be in jail. However, they’re here, and so we have to make sure we’re here for them,” Banks said.
The sheriff’s office said Wellpath will expand services by providing:
- More mental health care
- Additional telehealth services
- Continued Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT) for substance use disorders
- More comprehensive medical screenings for every newly admitted detainee
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“They’re coming in, and they’ve already told us how they can help us out with our MAT program, mental health. They’re offering more services as far as mental health is concerned, and so we’re ready for that,” Banks said.
The contract with Wellpath will cost $4.2 million, which the sheriff’s office said was comparable to other proposals it received. Officials also hope the expanded on-site medical services will reduce costly outside medical transports for inmates over time.
The transition comes as the detention facility continues to face longstanding concerns over overcrowding and staffing shortages.
Sondra Gray, whose son is currently incarcerated at the jail, said she has heard repeated complaints about conditions inside the facility.
“He’s telling me that the conditions in there are really bad. They don’t get showers for three or four days. He’s locked in his cell almost 24/7,” Gray said. “He says that it’s just very overcrowded and they just sit around and keep them locked down because I guess they don’t have enough staff.”
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When asked about these conditions, the sheriff’s office said, in a statement:
“Unless detainees are being held in their cells for disciplinary reasons, they have the opportunity to come out for free time daily. Depending on their classification level, some get more free time than others. State standards only require a detainee, after 14 days of consecutive confinement, to come out for free time for 1 hour every three days. The schedule we have in place goes above and beyond that minimum standard.”
Matt Marshall, director of public information with the sheriff’s office, says the facility’s operational capacity is 470 beds. Today, the population was at 534. He confirmed that in some cases, they are double-bunking. He also said that detainees are getting showers at least every three days, per facility policy.
But sheriff’s officials believe the expanded services through Wellpath will help address some of those challenges.
“Because we now know we have more people, which means we have to have more nurses to care for them, and they’re able to meet our needs,” Sheriff Miller said.