OUR OPINION: A perfect storm of opportunity
Source: Star Banner (FL), August 2, 2007
Sheriff Ed Dean has a problem. He is cancelling a nearly $5 million-a-year contract with Prison Health Services, the provider of health care to Marion County Jail inmates, because he believes the care, the costs and the controversy that shrouds PHS are unsatisfactory. Problem is, the sheriff has no replacement for PHS in the wings - at least not yet.
....... What Dean is proposing is the creation of a community-based health care system for the jail, utilizing local medical professionals and institutions. It's a bold concept that has has been tried and succeeded in a handful of communities. Moreover, Dean argues his problem is no problem at all. Instead, he sees it as an opportunity not just for the Sheriff's Office, but for the community at large, where one out of every six residents has no health insurance coverage.