DPSCS tells Senate subcommittees it extended inmate health contracts at no extra cost and aims to award new contracts by March

The Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services briefed the Senate Public Safety, Transportation and Environment Subcommittee and the Health and Human Services Subcommittee on its handling of inmate health care contracts and plans for new procurements.

Carolyn J. Scruggs, secretary of the Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services, said the department has been operating separate contracts for medical services with YesCare and mental‑health services with Centurion and extended both contracts to March 31, 2024. "These contracts were extended at no cost, time only extensions, via the delegated authority granted to the department under BPW advisory 1995‑1," Scruggs told senators.

Why it matters: The department is pursuing integrated vendor contracts to improve coordination between somatic medical and behavioral health clinicians and ensure continuity of care when individuals transfer between pretrial and sentenced facilities. Scruggs said single‑vendor arrangements for DOC facilities and combined contracts for DPDS facilities would create a single medical record for each person and reduce administrative barriers to coordinated care.

The briefing detailed ongoing expansions of medication‑assisted treatment (MAT). Scruggs said the department implemented methadone continuation programs at Baltimore Central Booking and Intake Center (BCBIC) and the Metropolitan Transition Center (MTC) and has added SUBLOCADE and Suboxone as treatment options. She said DPDS applied for and received Office of Overdose Response grants to expand MAT and injectable SUBLOCADE and that the department hired a peer recovery specialist in December 2023 and is filling a second position.

On procurement timing and vendor evaluations, Scruggs said the pretrial solicitation ran from Oct. 10, 2023 to Dec. 18, 2023 and the Division of Corrections solicitation opened Nov. 14, 2023 and was set to close Jan. 19, 2024. She said the department has received multiple proposals and is reviewing them but could not comment on evaluation details while the procurement is open. An unnamed DPSCS official explained the extensions were "no cost, time‑only" because the contracts are awarded with a not‑to‑exceed (NTE) value and the upset limit had not been reached.

Scruggs described steps to preserve continuity during any turnover: incoming providers may re‑evaluate existing vendor staff but clinicians already working in facilities often remain in place; DPSCS maintains a medical audit unit to monitor contract compliance monthly. "Our plan is that by the March, we will have an award for both of the contracts," Scruggs said, adding that transitions typically stabilize in about a month and there will be no break in continuity of care for incarcerated men and women.

Committee members raised operational concerns raised during the briefing. One senator said hospital partners had reported delays in reimbursement for outside care; Scruggs said past payment or staffing issues can be considered in procurement responsibility determinations. The committee also discussed coordination with the Maryland Department of Health (MDH) for psychiatric commitments; Scruggs said the department currently houses about 29 MDH‑committed patients and conducts weekly clinical reviews that MDH receives to assist with transfer prioritization.

The committees did not take any formal votes during the briefing. The chair noted a DPSCS overview session scheduled for Jan. 25 and adjourned the joint briefing.