General Information
 

Medical and Mental Health Services at the El Paso County Jail

The healthcare staff at the El Paso County Jail provide emergency, preventive, and chronic care for all inmates regardless of legal custody status. Also, care is provided regardless of the ability to pay a co-pay fee allowed by Colorado Revised Statute.

Nursing staff are on duty 24 hours a day, seven days a week, including a Registered Nurse (RN) specially trained in emergency procedures. Other licensed, qualified staff include physicians, Physician’s Assistant/Nurse Practitioner, Certified Nurse Midwife, Registered Nurses, Licensed Practical Nurses, medical assistants, Dentist, dental technician, licensed psychologist, psychiatrist, mental health clinicians, as well as medical records support staff.

Mental Health Staff are on duty seven days each week to provide services to the chronically mentally ill offenders, crisis intervention, and group therapy.

Preventive and chronic care services, including dental care, pregnancy care, diabetes care, and others are provided in-house by experienced medical staff. Radiology and Laboratory services are also available. Specialty services are provided off-site by community medical specialists when necessary. Specialty care is coordinated between the on-site Medical Director and the off-site specialists.

During the booking process inmates are interviewed by a nurse to determine what medical and mental health problems need to be addressed immediately. Within two (2) weeks of being booked into the El Paso County Jail a Registered Nurse sees the inmate and does a medical health assessment to evaluate the inmate’s general health, as well as any history of medical problems. The inmate is also seen by a mental health clinician to assess the impact of incarceration on the inmate’s mental health.

Non-emergency requests for healthcare services are submitted by the inmate in using a kiosk system in each ward/housing area. The sick call clinic is available seven days a week for all inmates.

The El Paso County Jail Medical Unit operates a 15 bed infirmary on-site for those inmate patients who require frequent and special nursing care such as IV antibiotics, oxygen, dressing changes and other care. Inmates who require hospital level care are transferred to an acute care hospital when ordered by our physician.

All healthcare programs and services meet or exceed the National Commission on Correctional Health Care (NCCHC) “Standards for Health Services in Jails” and the American Correctional Association (ACA) “Standards for Adult Local Detention Facilities”. The El Paso County Jail was most recently accredited by the National Commission in November of 2017, and by American Correctional Association in October of 2018.