A contract that would put a for-profit company in charge of medical services at the city jail is back before the D.C. Council for approval, setting up a potential showdown between the mayor and lawmakers concerned about the company’s performance at other detention centers.
The $66 million contract would put Corizon Health Inc. in charge of providing medical, mental health, pharmacy and dental services to the approximately 2,200 inmates in the custody of the District’s Department of Corrections for at least three years.
Former D.C. Mayor Vincent C. Gray last year proposed but later withdrew the contract after concerns were raised about the quality of Corizon’s care of inmates at other jail facilities where it holds contracts.
Mayor Muriel Bowser resubmitted the contract to the D.C. Council on Tuesday. But with council members already expressing opposition, the contract’s fate is uncertain.
Council member David Grosso, who typically abstains from voting on contract agreements, has spoken out against awarding the contract to Corizon and in favor of reopening the bidding process.
“I have consistently heard from experts in this field that contracting with Corizon represents a step backward in the progress we have made in delivering quality healthcare to D.C. Jail inmates,” Mr. Grosso, at-large independent, wrote in a letter sent last week to the mayor.
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The city has contracted with D.C.-based nonprofit Unity Health Care Inc. to provide medical care for inmates since 2006.
D.C. Council Chairman Phil Mendelson, at-large Democrat, also has expressed skepticism about the Corizon award, having noted that the number of lawsuits filed against the District regarding inmate health care and the value of losses paid out in those cases have “plummeted” in the time Unity has held the contract.
Both the D.C. branch of the American Civil Liberties Union and inmate advocates have opposed the move to award the contract to Corizon, saying the for-profit corporation has a history of providing poor health care to inmates at other facilities.
A spokesperson for Ms. Bowser did not respond to requests for comment on her resubmission of the contract.
“I personally was disappointed that this was the decision that was made,” Unity CEO Vincent Keane said.
Mr. Keane that he has reached out to administration officials about the contract status, but said his organization does not “have deep pockets to put the money, resources or the time into doing all the things others can do from the for-profit community.”
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Mr. Grosso noted that 660 lawsuits have been filed against Corizon over the last five years, and lawsuits and government audits have uncovered “serious deficiencies” in the company’s practices in 11 states.
In a response letter to Mr. Grosso, Corizon CEO Woodrow Augustus Myers said it is misleading to compare information about the number of lawsuits in which his company is involved and the locally-run Unity, noting that Corizon contracts nationwide and serves many thousands of inmates.
“Based on the number of inmates each company serves each day, the incumbent’s lawsuit rate is far higher than Corizon Health’s,” Mr. Myers wrote.
The District’s Office of Contracting and Procurement made the recommendation for the contract award last year after a lengthy bidding and selection process. A copy of the council contract summary states that Corizon’s bid to provide services for three years, with the ability to renew for two additional years, would cost 7 percent or $4.4 million more than the bid by Unity.
Mr. Myers argued that Mr. Grosso’s request to reopen the bidding process for the contract “undermines the work of the men and women at the Office of Contracting and Procurement” and would “have a chilling effect on businesses willing to provide much needed services to residents of the District.”
The D.C. Council would have to take a vote to approve the contract by May 2, otherwise the contract would be automatically disapproved.
In an interview Wednesday, Mr. Grosso said if the contract does come for a vote, he would wait to see whether he might break his long-standing rule to abstain on contract votes.
“I don’t have a big love affair with Unity. I think there is room for improvement,” Mr. Grosso said. “But does that mean we should bring in a monster of a company like Corizon?”
• Andrea Noble can be reached at anoble@washingtontimes.com.
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