A new era for health care at the jail begins soon, but the same scrutiny will remain.

Erik Chalhoub here. When I was part of a tour of the Monterey County Jail for an article in 2024, I got the impression that such tours were a common occurrence—it was like a well-oiled machine.

That was to be expected. Health care at the Monterey County Jail has been heavily scrutinized since a 2013 class-action lawsuit led to the 2015 settlement that includes ongoing third-party monitoring. (We had even come across one such monitor during my tour).

When the County of Monterey sought bids for a new health care provider in the jail earlier this year, Wellpath, the longtime provider with a contentious history whose contract ends on Dec. 31, didn’t make the cut.

A new provider is on the horizon, and it can expect all the same scrutiny. That begins tomorrow, Nov. 18 when the Monterey County Board of Supervisors considers a contract for the next five years.

Slated to start providing onsite medical, dental, mental health and pharmaceutical services at the jail for those incarcerated on Jan. 1 is Correctional Healthcare Partners, pending approval of the contract.

The contract runs through June 30, 2031 for an amount “not to exceed $139,396,760,” according to the agreement.

It’s quite a bit more than Wellpath’s current three-year, $44.3 million contract, due in part to skyrocketing health care costs and the need to continue complying with the 2015 settlement.

Health care staffing is expected to rise with roughly 36 more full-time positions added under the new contract. (Correctional Healthcare Partners, which is based in San Diego and is a provider for jails across the state, has started recruiting for admin-level positions.)

Officials with the Monterey County Sheriff’s Office declined to comment on the new contract before the board considers it. In a report to the supervisors, Chief Deputy Timothy Lanquist wrote that Correctional Health Partners “has a proven ability to maintain a high level of stable staffing.”

“Their experience in the California correctional medical services market has given them the ability to recruit and retain some of the most highly-trained medical professionals in the State of California,” he wrote.

You can tune in to the supervisors’ meeting tomorrow beginning at 10:30am online or in person in Salinas. Consideration of the health care contract is slated to begin at 1:30pm.