Santa Barbara County’s jail health care provider has come under fire several times, leading the county to seek a new provider, but Wellpath is now reporting that increased staffing has helped to improve some of its issues regarding inmate care. 

On Tuesday, the county Board of Supervisors received an annual report from Wellpath about the care it provided in 2023, including expanding the Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) program, implementing three new behavioral health units, and helping patients when they transition out of jail.

Wellpath has been the county’s jail health care provider since 2017, but there have been several issues, including staff shortages and compliance failures. The county’s contract with Wellpath is set to expire March 31.

It also provides medical care to the Susan J. Gionfriddo Juvenile Justice Center and was providing services to the Los Prietos Boys Camp before it closed.

The Sheriff’s Office also presented a grievances report outlining all of the complaints that patients in the jails had with Wellpath in 2023.

Last year, Wellpath increased its services at the juvenile center. Dr. Carrick Adam with Wellpath said that after a study in 2022, it found that a third of the Juvenile Center inmates used opioids within the past year. 

In 2023, it had 16 adolescent patients go through the Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) program. This year, it already has had 12 patients go through the program, according to Adam.

MAT uses clinically proven medications to treat substance use disorders. It already has been used in the jails, and last year, Wellpath expanded the number of patients in the program, serving a total of 223 patients. 

While Wellpath has been able to treat more patients, the county department of Behavioral Wellness reported some compliance failures when it came to assessing inmates on suicide watch. 

Last year, there were five deaths in Santa Barbara County jails — two suicides, two drug overdoses and one alcohol withdrawal. 

Santa Barbara County Second District Supervisor Laura Capps noted that Public Health and Behavioral Wellness found that check-ins for inmates who attempted suicide were scheduled but completed late or not at all.

Brian Smith, Wellpath’s regional director of operations, said it is a high priority to check in on patients released from suicide watch but that staff were busy in other areas.

“That is a deficiency that has now been corrected. Our mental health staff have been reorganized to ensure that they’re doing that,” Smith said.

He also noted that they’ve been able to fix this issue thanks to the additional staffing that the board approved earlier this year. Now, patients are receiving follow-ups within 24 hours, three days and seven days after an attempted suicide.

One way Wellpath is trying to improve services is through implementation of monthly meetings of a Medical Advisory Committee. Smith said the meetings focus on tracking success and areas for improvement.

Wellpath, the Sheriff’s Office, Public Health, Behavioral Wellness and county staff are all part of the committee. Smith said they are analyzing frequent issues to identify areas for improvement.

“We are making sure we identify those opportunities, we actually address them as quickly as possible, and if there are some changes that need to happen, we implement those and track them to see their success,” Smith told the board. 

The Sheriff’s Office reported that 1,646 grievances were filed by inmates against Wellpath in 2023. Of these grievances, 543 were medical or mental health related, and 275 of those were specific to medical care received by patients in the jails.

The sheriff’s report doesn’t give the specific details related to the grievances but that follow-up appointments addressed the majority of the grievances while 31 were duplicates of previously filed grievances, 25 of these complaints were sustained with a majority being about a delay in receiving service, according to the Sheriff’s Office Grievance Review Annual Report.

Additionally, 119 grievances were related to medications, 69 were related to the MAT  program, 38 were related to mental health and 27 were related to dental care. 

Cassandra Marking, a custody lieutenant for the Sheriff’s Office, said most of the complaints against MAT were related to long wait times and the types of medication patients were receiving. 

Additionally, there were 15 grievances in which the HIPPA release was not signed by the patient. 

First District Supervisor Das Williams asked Smith about why grievances against Wellpath have increased, specifically in the county main jail. In 2020, Wellpath received 263 complaints related to medical and mental health care, and the numbers have steadily increased since, leading to 543 in 2023. 

Smith said the grievances were about wait times to get into MAT and types of medications patients received, but that the increase of staff has helped to resolve these issues since last year. He also noted that as more patients are treated, they receive more complaints.

The county’s contract with Wellpath is set to end March 31, at which time the county is expected to enter into a five-year contract with a new provider. It’s currently requesting proposals for a new provider. The county is expected to select a new provider late this year or in early 2025.