Butler County Prison employees will no longer clear inmates under suicide watch.

Under a contract renewal with Wexford Health Sources, the medical service provider’s staff will be responsible for making the call.

Warden Joe DeMore said the change adds a layer of protection against liability in the event an inmate would commit suicide after being taken off a watch.

“Counselors clear them now,” DeMore said.

An exception was this past weekend when Center for Community Resources staff were called in by the prison to make an assessment.

The county prison board Tuesday approved the renewal, which increases the annual fee from $908,736, or $75,728 monthly, to $993,780, $82,815 monthly.

Adding the full-time psychiatric nurse costs $51,421. The remainder of the difference was a rate hike.

Prison board members agreed the increase was worth it.

The renewal extends the current contract, which ends Jan. 31, 2017, to Jan. 31, 2018.

Along with the psychiatric nurse, Wexford will double the hours of a physician assistant from three to six hours a week at no additional cost.

Sheriff Mike Slupe, prison board chairman, said having more hours from a physician assistant, who has triage experience, would decrease unnecessary trips to the hospital.

“Everything’s working now,” Slupe said in an interview. “And with everything they’re going to do, it will work better.”

Wexford also will pay for lab testing of inmates deemed high risk who may need to receive Vivitrol (naltrexone) injections, which mitigate withdrawal symptoms, later.

Another provider would administer the shots at no cost to the county. Inmates would be assessed a fee for each shot following the first, which is covered.

The prison board opted to postpone sending out a request for proposals, or RFP, for inmate medical services until next year.

County Commissioner Leslie Osche, prison board member, said they need more time to understand and develop the RFP.

The proposed RFP is 48 pages.

DeMore said if the board had rejected Wexford’s contract renewal offer, he would have been concerned medical service would cost more by seeking proposals.

“My scare is these companies come in way higher,” he said.

DeMore said another problem could occur if a company securing a contract would provide a lower level of care.

County Controller Ben Holland, who also sits on the prison board, said in an interview the county needs to send out an RFP next year.

“Let’s make sure we’re getting the overall best price for the contract as a whole,” he said.

Holland said he preferred the county send out the RFP this year, but having the liability reduced under the renewal helps the county.

The county commissioners also will have to approve the renewal.