8/4/14 - The county government is considering a request from jail officials to increase the nursing staff coverage for inmates. The jail currently pays to staff one nurse at any given time, but Jail Operations Lieutenant Jeff LeVeque went before the County Public Safety and Infrastructure & Development Committee last week seeking to increase that coverage. He says they are seeking to increase nursing staff by 16 hours per week, helping to speed up the process of providing doctorâs visits and medication distribution. The request, which would increase the cost of the contract by $33,000, would only be a stop-gap measure until the new jail expansion is completed, at which time a full medical staff would be provided 24/7. The request was approved unanimously by the committee, but still requires review by other county bodies before it receives final approval. LeVeque tells WHMI the need for this expansion is due to the jailâs ever-growing population. He told the committee that the growing percentage of female inmates has also made health care in the jail more complicated. (TD)
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