The Shasta County Sheriff's Office and the company hired to provide medical treatment at the county jail are not taking proper precautions to prevent and treat MRSA skin infections among inmates and staff who work there, according to the county grand jury.
The grand jury issued a report this week that says Wellpath, the company hired to provide medical treatment at the jail, has not been properly screening people brought to the jail for MRSA, a staph skin infection.
Based on an investigation of cases involving three inmates, the grand jury said nurses and others at the jail also are not properly treating inmates for MRSA.
Lack of screening and treatment poses a risk of allowing infections to spread among jail staff and inmates, the report says.
"Wellpath's policies and procedures for infectious disease prevention and control do not address the control and treatment of MRSA skin and soft tissue infections," says the grand jury report.
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The sheriff office's policy on communicable diseases does not address MRSA, and Wellpath's "policy and procedure for infectious disease prevention and control" also does not address MRSA, the report says.
"On several levels, Wellpath is not fully meeting its contractual obligations to Shasta County," the report says.
MRSA, which is an acronym for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, is common in detention facilities, according to the report, which cites several sources, including the Mayo Clinic, Centers for Disease Control, Infectious Disease Society of America and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health.
The grand jury interviewed 12 people, including the woman who complained, three inmates, four Wellpath employees and four jail employees ― including upper and middle management.
Members of the jury visited the jail three times, the report says.
Beyond what is reported at hospitals, cases of MRSA are not required to be reported to public health officials, according to Amy Koslosky, a supervising community education specialist for the county health department.
The jury's investigation began after a woman complained to the grand jury that her son was taken to jail and while there he was not properly screened for a MRSA infection and was not given adequate treatment.
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Members of the grand jury also interviewed two other randomly selected inmates with infections. One said he came to the jail with a "draining abscess" on the inside of his left elbow and had been taking a prescription antibiotic. But jail medical records showed that Wellpath officials did not cover the wound and did not continue to provide him with his prescription medication, the report says.
Another inmate came to the jail with no infections, but within nine months developed "the first of many recurring skin infections," the report says. The inmate told the jury that he may have been infected by his cellmate, who had a staph infection.
One of the infected inmates was allowed to work in laundry and in food service jobs, the report says.
Wellpath is one of the largest for-profit companies that provide health care at jails and other detention facilities around the country, according to the grand jury report. More than half the counties in California contract with Wellpath, the report says.
Wellpath is owned by the private equity firm H.I.G. Capital, has more than 15,000 employees in 37 states and provides health care to inmates in about 500 jails, prisons and other facilities, according to the Ventura County Star, part of the USA Today Network.
According to a story published in the Star this year, the company has been sued more than 1,400 times in federal courts since 2013.
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Last year, Wellpath, Shasta County and the city of Redding agreed to pay $12.75 million to settle a lawsuit filed in federal court after a Redding man was brought to the jail and died two days after he was booked into facility.
The lawsuit says Redding police and jail staff should have sent the man to the hospital rather than to the jail. The lawyer who handled the case said it was the largest settlement against Wellpath. Of the $12.75 million, Wellpath agreed to pay $11.1 million. The city of Redding and Shasta County agreed to pay $1.65 million.
The county's budget does not mention the cost of Wellpath's contract, but it does say the cost of medical and healthcare services in the jail is expected to be about $5.2 million.
The Record Searchlight sent Wellpath an email asking company officials to comment on the grand jury's report, but the company did not respond by deadline on Friday.
The newspaper emailed the sheriff's office a list of questions about the grand jury report. Tim Mapes, the office's spokesman, said the department received a copy of the report and will formally respond to it as required under the California Penal Code.
As a result of the jury's investigation, the panel made the following recommendations to the sheriff's office and Wellpath:
- Wellpath and the sheriff's office should implement policies to ensure inmates who are booked into jail and cleared for work duty undergo skin examinations.
- Inmates with skin infections receive clean clothing, bedding and towels daily.
- The sheriff's office should update policies to require all jail surfaces be cleaned regularly to reduce the spread of MRSA.
- The sheriff should have Wellpath provide training to its employees on the treatment of wound care as well as assessing, preventing and documenting MRSA and other "soft tissue infections."
Reporter Damon Arthur welcomes story tips at 530-338-8834, by email at damon.arthur@redding.com and on Twitter at@damonarthur_RS. Help local journalism thrive bysubscribing today!
