Board approves financing inmates’ medical services

A Salem company and Youngstown hospital also received state funding.

By MARC KOVAC

VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT

COLUMBUS — The state Controlling Board approved more than $16 million to cover inmates’ emergency medical services over the next two years, including a contract with several area providers.

The Department of Rehabilitation and Correction sought and received $7.5 million for fiscal 2008 and $8.8 million for 2009 to cover ambulance services and emergency room physicians, according to state documents.

Contracts approved Monday include area providers:

UKLG Mobile Intensive Co. in Salem, $75,000 in fiscal 2008 and ’09.

USt. Elizabeth Health Center in Youngstown, $170,000 in fiscal 2008 and $185,000 in ’09.

The department has 49,199 inmates and operates a medical facility in Columbus for about 250, “170 of which are in need of intensive skilled nursing care and/or assistance with activities of daily living, such as eating, dressing and personal hygiene,” according to documents.

“In addition, the institution houses a special end-of-life program that serves inmates with advanced, terminal illnesses. The department also uses a secure ward at The Ohio State University Medical Center for inpatient care,” the documents state.

Other emergency medical services, however, are provided at hospitals near the state-run prisons.

Other contracts

In other business, the controlling board signed off on a number of contracts related to school facilities projects:

UThe board OK’d a $160,000 contract with Ricciuti Balog and Partners of Youngstown, which will provide educational consulting services. The firm was among several selected to assist districts in determining facility needs.

According to documents, “These consultants are often used to determine facility requirements for districts that have large populations of students with disabilities. … The consultants will provide educational planning services, including services related to K-12 and career technical facilities, review of standards and specifications for the design of school facilities, educational adequacy analysis, master facilities planning and training.”

UThe board approved construction management contracts with Hammond Construction Inc., Canton, for Hubbard School District in the amount of $2,819,638; R.P. Carbone Co., Cleveland, for Southington School District in the amount of $1,113,220; and Carbone Ozanne Hammond JV, Mayfield Heights, for the Warren School District in the amount of $2,225,921.