Kansas-based VitalCore Health Strategies will care for people starting May 19, the sheriff’s office said in a news release Monday. The jail’s current medical provider, Wellpath, recently terminated a $10.66 million contract to work in the jail.
VitalCore won out against five other companies who submitted proposals, according to the news release.
“We are excited to embark on this relationship with VitalCore Health Strategies,” Sheriff Garry McFadden said in a statement. “This collaboration is a shared partnership. VitalCore’s CEO, Viola Riggin shares our passion for changing the culture and philosophy within our detention center.”
A contract has not been signed yet, sheriff’s office spokesperson Bradley Smith said in an email Tuesday.
VitalCore is being sued in federal court by the Delaware ACLU. A court complaint alleges that staff have provided poor medical care in the state’s prisons since July, when they took over there.
It’s not uncommon for jail and prison health care providers to land in legal trouble.
In February The Charlotte Observer reported how Wellpath has a history of being sued by families of people who died or were hurt in North Carolina facilities. Wellpath often ends those lawsuits by settling them, the Observer found in reviewing state and federal court records.
The sheriff’s office did not respond to a request for comment on VitalCore’s lawsuit out of Delaware.