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Jackson County inmates can sign up for health insurance Wednesday Feb 1, 2017 at 4:25 PM Feb 1, 2017 at 5:28 PM Vickie Aldous Mail Tribune @VickieAldous Low-income inmates leaving the Jackson County Jail will have better access to Oregon Health Plan insurance coverage because of a new agreement between the state and county. Jackson County commissioners on Wednesday approved an agreement for trained county workers to help inmates enroll or re-enroll in OHP. The Oregon Health Authority provides the training for the county workers. People lose OHP coverage when they are incarcerated — leaving the county to pick up the bill for their medical, mental health and dental care while in jail. Jackson County currently spends about $355,000 per year to provide care to adult inmates in the jail, said sheriff's Capt. Dan Penland, who heads the corrections division. The county is budgeted to spend $123,310 this fiscal year on care for juveniles in its Juvenile Detention Facility and residential programs, said Jackson County Community Justice Deputy Director Joe Ferguson. Penland said getting departing inmates signed up for OHP could save the county money in the long run. "It encourages people to get the help they need, so if they come back to jail — and, unfortunately, many do come back — they have taken care of some of their conditions and it's less expensive for us," he said.  Penland said inmates have a range of problems, from mental illness to drug and alcohol addiction to dental problems to broken bones. "We see a lot of dental problems. Generally, people are not taking care of themselves," he said. A dentist visits the jail twice per month. Some inmates have such severe problems with their teeth that the dentist must perform extractions. Jackson County does not pay for restorative dental work, Penland said. The county contracts with Correct Care Solutions for physical health care plus 40 hours per week of mental health care. Jackson County Mental Health provides back-up crisis mental health care after-hours and on weekends, Penland said. Jackson County Community Justice Director Eric Guyer said when inmates are within 30 days of being released, they can begin the process of signing up for OHP. "When they're on OHP, they're more ready to access drug and alcohol treatment and mental health services," Guyer said. He said addiction treatment is correlated with lower recidivism rates. Guyer said he does not have data about whether access to physical health care reduces recidivism. The county helps departing inmates find primary care physicians so they are receiving regular and preventive care. That reduces costly visits to hospital emergency rooms, he said. Guyer said the OHA's move to authorize and train county workers to sign departing inmates up for health care coverage is a positive step. "This is another opportunity for us to streamline services and requirements for people in supervision. Helping people get their lives back on track will help keep the community safer," he said. — Reach staff reporter Vickie Aldous at 541-776-4486 or [email protected]. Follow her at www.twitter.com/VickieAldous.