MILWAUKEE -- Milwaukee County's Finance and Audit Committee voted 7-0 Thursday, Dec. 6 to approve a proposal from Milwaukee County Board Chairman Theo Lipscomb to take control of medical services at the Milwaukee County Jail.
According to a news release, with the vote, the committee recommended Milwaukee County directly provide inmate medical services, rather than continue contracting with an outside, private vendor.
"Milwaukee County has an opportunity to do the right thing and ensure we are providing quality healthcare at all of our facilities by bringing the provision of Jail and House of Corrections medical services in-house. Moving away from Armor is the first part of doing the right thing. I was opposed to Armor and the privatization of medical services five years ago and I'm opposed to it now. Armor failed to live up to their promises of better quality, and I have zero confidence in another profit-motivated vendor taking over. I believe Milwaukee County employees are best suited to delivering the quality of care and level of integrity that taxpayers expect and deserve," said Lipscomb in the release.
Lipscomb presented the idea to the committee while the committee was considering a report on the status of the county's contract with Armor Correctional Health Services, Inc.
According to the release, in 2013, a judge ordered Milwaukee County to contract with Armor, over the objections of the County Board, citing the County's struggle to meet staffing criteria set by a legal settlement known as the Christensen Decree.
The chief of staff for Milwaukee County Executive Chris Abele issued this statement on the committee vote: