The warden has asked Butler County commissioners to approve $6.3 million for a five-year contract for health care services at the county prison.

Joe DeMore asked commissioners at their Wednesday meeting to approve the contract with Wexford Health Services next week for all health care provided to prison inmates.

The county prison board decided to advertise for bids for the prison health services instead of negotiating contracts as they have in the past.

DeMore told commissioners the prison will get an electronic medical records system with Wexford Heath Services that is much less expensive because the contract was bid out.

The prison currently contracts with Wexford, which provides a doctor who serves as medical director, a health services administrator, two full-time registered nurses, five full-time licensed practical nurses and a mental health professional who works 32 hours per week.

The county signed a four-year contract in 2012 with Wexford for 2013 through 2016 and another one-year contract for 2017. That contract expires in February.

The contracted employees provide all health care for the inmates, including each inmate's initial intake health clearance, physicals, answering sick calls and responding to mental health crises like suicidal thoughts.

While the job of the health care workers will be 99 percent geared toward the inmates, DeMore said they sometimes perform small health-related tasks for the prison workers like TB tests.

DeMore said he and the prison's board of directors looked at six or seven companies that submitted bids for the contract.

He told the commissioners the next least expensive bid was $650,000 more than Wexford Health Services over five years.

“It's been a very educating process with the various companies,” DeMore told the commissioners.

Commissioner Leslie Osche said she knew the prison board had some issues with Wexford in the past and asked if those bumps had been smoothed out.

“Any issues with them that came up over the last year, they have been addressed,” DeMore replied.

DeMore said Wexford failed to provide the staffing called for in their contract with the county, but fixed the problem and now fully staff the prison as required.

DeMore said he is glad to have a health care provider selected for the inmates and hopes the commissioners will approve the measure at their meeting next week.

“It's been a long process and the prison board, at the end of the day, felt that the services offered for the price was the best decision,” he said.