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HomeMy WebLinkAbout11-27-2000 Meeting I I I PUBLIC SAFETY COMMITTEE caMMITTEE RaaM - November 27, 2000 3:30 PM. PRESENT: 1. Beard, Chairman, J. Brigham, S. Shepard, M. Williams, members, W. Mays, Mayor Pro Tem, W. Hornsby, Interim Administrator, J. Wall, Attorney, R Leverett, Director RCel, G. Hewett, IT, M. A. Gibbs, Sheriff's Dept., G. Johnson, 1. Bonner, Clerk of Commi"SlOn. ALSO. PRESENT H. Coryell, Augusta Chronicle. Clerk: We have a request to add on item: Approve the quote from Motorola for Mobile Data Terminals to be installed in the Marshal's Department vehicles. Mr. Shepard: So move to add. Mr. Brigham: Second. Motion carried unanimously to add. Consider proposal of medical services contract for Richmond County Jail and RCCI including presentation from CMS and PHS. Mr. Ellison: We put out for bids the medical services at the three facilities, RCCI, the 4th Street location and the detention facility. at Phinizy Road. We received two bids and both companies have had the contract we have went on this PHS which is Physician Health - Services which is the existing contract and the other one from CMS which is the contractor that preceded the PHS. There is some information in the agenda book on a selective portion of their proposal. One is the staffing levels proposed by each company and secondly the price. Both prices of the contract proposals are considerably more than what we're paying right now. There are considerable differences also between the two proposals and the two companies. The differences appear to be the same situation that we had three years when PHS was given the contract. There is a difference in the staffing levels and the amount of services being provided by each company. For example, under the PHS proposal they are proposing a total of 1,054 hours in personnel per week and the CMS proposal is a little under 1,500. So there is about a thirty to forty percent difference. The PHS contract proposal is lower as far as the prices ofCMS. Apparently, the Sheriff's Dept., has run into a great deal of problems thinking that the staffing levels of PHS are not sufficient to do the job and they have run into some problems with accreditation. That is one reason we've been meeting with the jail officials. We've asked both contractors to be here and to make very brief presentations with particular "attention as to why they feel that their staffing level that they have proposed are sufficient to maintain our accreditation at the jail and to do the job in effect to keep us from getting sued by inmates who may be getting inadequate medical care,' At this time the Committee received reports regarding proposed medical services from Mr. Leon Joiner Regional VP with PHS and Ms. S. Morrison, Ms. C. Reed, Program Administrator and Ms. U. Henderson, Regional Manager all with CMS. Chief Toole, Sheriff's Dept.: In the last two years in particular, with the vendor that we have now, is that Capt. Johnson and I have gone back into the medical decision making business. They will not keep an administrator on site down there. They'll bring a young lady in for one or two days a week. I have nurses that have no supervision, some that don't show up. Between the two proposals the first proposal is not sufficient to handle the volume. Also, I surveyed other states and we're not the only state that is dissatisfied with this particular vendor. I have documentation on that and they admit that they do fall below standards. We've had our accreditation this year pushed back three times and we're still not accredited. Between the two jails for us, it has strictly been a nightmare. And we do not feel comfortable with the proposal from PHS. What we spend now may save us some money somewhere down the line for lawsuits and some other things that we may incur. I Mr. Mays: I've had some serious concems about this for a long time. It may be worth our while to a point that since this is in a service area, Jim that we maybe look to a point of seeing what could be tailored at least from the standpoint that we had somebody that we know kept us into a certain point before. If that's now being questioned, and I had serious questions when those numbers came up, because we dealt with three places at that time. Those numbers were real close on two people and they were drastically low on the one that has it now. I remember asking how could they deliver what you all needed in what they put in the proposal. Also, is there any tracking that we might be able to do? If we look at the staffing in the infirmary, if we're looking at what we're paying outside the box of where we take them out to what one company can not do on site and in place in terms of dealing with that. Then, what kind of money are we really looking at? And I think we have to consider both factors in there, not just the numbers on the table. I think we have to look at the difference in there of where we may have numbers because we can't adequately service in- house, what are we sending away that's being brought back into the budget process? I Mr. Wall: I think we need to look at the ramifications of not being accredited and not having the best care that we can afford to provide. Mr. Brigham: What do we have to do today? Mr. Wall: Originally, this was supposed to have been bid earlier we have indicated to both of them that we would try to have a contract awarded by December 5. If you want us to negotiate, and get something in between or at least see what the options are and bring it to the Commission on December 5 we can. The contract expires on December 31. Mr. Shepard: In viewing the timing in this matter, I would like to make a motion that this Committee pass this with no recommendation and in the meantime have the Attorney and the Administrator negotiate with one of these providers. Mr. Mays: Second. Warden Leverett: I don't have the problems that Chief Toole has because I have a smaller population and a well population. So of the problems that I may encounter I'm able I I to because they are state-sentenced felony's, I'm able to send them back to the state if I don't want the county to take on that responsibility. I echo some of the problems that Charles has and mainly it has been with staffing. From the very beginning when this company came in, they came in under staffed and they remain understaffed today. There were times when the doctor would leave there would not be a doctor on call for us. And we have gone for a number ofmonlhs without a medical administrator and today we don't have one. It is my feelings that PHS has come in again, under bided and we're going to have the same problems with them in the future that we've had in the past. Motion carried unanimously. Approve the quote from Motorola for Mobile Data Terminals to be installed in the Marshal's Department vehicles. Mr. Brigham: Where is the funding source? Mr. Hewett: These funds are currently available under the Landfill Litter Control budget and have been researched by Finance and the funds are available. Mr. Shepard: I move approval. Mr. Mays: Second. I Motion carried unanimously. With no further business to discuss, the meeting was adjourned. Lena J. Bonner Clerk of Commission Ibb I PUBLIC SAFETY AGENDA CaMMITTEE RaaM - November 27, 2000 3:30 P. M. I. Consider proposal of medical services contract for Richmond County Jail and RCCI including presentation from CMS and PHS. ADDENDUM PUBLIC SAFETY AGENDA November 27, 2000 3:30 P. M. ADDITIaN TO. THE AGENDA: 1. Approve the attached quote from Motorola for Mobile Data Terminals to be installed in the Marshal's Department vehicles. - - - - - W'