Arkansas Board of Corrections approves $1.5 billion medical contract, hears Protect Act updates

Benny Magness (left) leads a Board of Corrections meeting in North Little Rock on July 26, 2024. (Mary Hennigan/Arkansas Advocate)

The Arkansas Board of Corrections on Friday approved a $1.5 billion medical contract, heard updates on policy procedures related to the Protect Arkansas Act and delayed hiring a new public information officer.

The board also suspended the rules during a discussion of construction projects and approved a staff study to consider a 100-bed expansion in Mississippi County while land-acquisition delays put construction on hold.

The new $1.54 billion contract with WellPath extends the company’s long relationship with the state prison system to provide medical services to inmates for the next 10 years.

The Department of Corrections has contracted with WellPath, previously called Correct Care Solutions, for more than a decade. The company has been providing interim services since its previous contract ended in 2022, officials said.

Inmates did not go without medical services while contract negotiations were underway, Secretary of Corrections Lindsay Wallace said Friday.

WellPath was chosen from among five bidders for the new contract.

Though the board approved WellPath’s contract, there is a two-week window during which any of the other companies that submitted bids for the contract can protest the decision. Protests related to medical contracts are not uncommon, according to department staff who said they felt confident a company could not make a case against the agency’s decision.

The Arkansas Legislature also has to approve the contract, which is expected in August.

The contract will ensure all inmates under the Arkansas Division of Correction, Division of Community Correction and inmates who are in county or city jails because of lack of space in state facilities have medical care for the next decade.

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The first year of the contract is expected to cost nearly $128.5 million; by 2034, the annual cost is expected to be more than $179 million.

“It’s been two years worth of hard work, and I believe that we have collaborated and have a great partnership,” said Dona Gordon, regional vice president for WellPath. “We will continue to supply quality care to our inmate population because they are our patients and they deserve care, and that’s what we’re here to provide.”

Policy update

The Department of Corrections staff is currently working to implement various policy requirements as described in the Protect Arkansas Act , an overhaul of the state’s parole system.

What is the Protect Arkansas Act?

Wallace, who provided the board with a policy update in place of a staff member that was out of town, said the department was on track to implement the requirements.

“I think, ideally, we would have been farther along in the process,” Wallace said. “But I think we’ll be OK. If push comes to shove, we can request emergency rule making from the governor’s office to get things sent along.”

Though it would be voted on later in the meeting, Wallace also prefaced the board with information about a committee to set the process for new “earned release credits.”

The Protect Act directs the program to focus on work practices, job responsibilities, good behavior and involvement in rehabilitative activities. It specifically lists GED certificate completion, vocational programs for which certificates are awarded and substance abuse treatment. The committee will decide how the credits are weighted.

The details of the credit program have to be developed through the rule-making process, which includes approval of a draft rule, a 30-day public comment period, approval of a permanent rule and final approval from the state Legislature.

The earned release credit program will likely rely on the department’s programming, which board member Lona McCastlain said Friday is “weak.”

“If we don’t have any programs, then they [inmates] can’t earn the earned release credits,” she said.

Wallace said she is working to hire for an assistant director position who will work in tandem with the earned release credit committee and programs. She also said staff is completing a program analysis.

Public information officer

Earlier this week, the prisons board held a special-called meeting to discuss applications for a new public information officer, commonly known as a PIO. After an executive session, the board approved a five-member committee to whittle 26 applicants down to five for interviewing by Friday.

The board voted Friday to delay the process of hiring the new PIO.

McCastlain, who was assigned as the chair of the committee, said the existing job description for the PIO was “outdated” and should be updated and advertised again.

Wallace said the next steps include contacting personnel management to approve the job description change and listing the position for a minimum of five days. Officials said the 26 applicants who previously applied will be alerted via email about the new listing.

Dina Tyler, the department’s previous PIO, held the position for nearly three decades. She completed her last day with the agency last month after a short return from an earlier retirement. Staff have worked together to fill the role during the hiring process.

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