Three inmates costly to incarcerate

WALKER - Jamie Richter, adult public health director, informed the Cass County Board Tuesday costs for three inmates represented 41 percent of the county's $129,140.28 jail health expenditures in 2006.

One inmate received kidney dialysis three times a week for a month and a half, costing $39,556. Charges the county paid when another inmate suffered a gall bladder attack and required emergency room hospital admission ran $7,158.93.

Costs for another inmate who had taken a drug overdose while not in custody ran $9,568.

County public health nurses provided an average of 17.5 hours per week of nursing care to county jail inmates during 2006, making 940 visits with patients.

The largest number of services they provided were for 206 Mantoux tests, a diagnostic tool for tuberculosis, and 179 Mantoux assessments, followed by 151 instances of medication management and 78 visits for wound dressing changes.

Of those 64 visits were to change the dressing twice a day in May and June for one inmate's wound.

Richter said she expects administration of medications to inmates costs will rise in 2007, because in 2006 the state pharmacy board ruled jails could not return drugs in unopened bubble packs to pharmacies.

A recent administrative law judge ruling upheld the pharmacy board's rule.

While one inmate may require treatment for cardiovascular problems, another may have diabetes or hepatitis, so each one's medications will be different.

When inmates were released, extra medications in bubble packs held in a locked jail cabinet used to be returnable.