Health care company wants out of contract for Mecklenburg jail inmate services

Wellpath will no longer provide health care at the Mecklenburg County jail, according to a Jan. 19 letter from the company to the local sheriff’s office.

The company will stop offering care to inmates in Charlotte on May 18, according to that brief termination letter. The news comes two months after two inmates died in custody following reported medical emergencies — something the sheriff’s office says wasn’t a factor. WBTV first reported on the contract ending.

“We’re confident we’ll have a provider in place before May,” sheriff’s office spokesperson Bradley Smith told The Charlotte Observer. “We don’t foresee any services being affected.”

Wellpath, formerly known as Correct Care Solutions, has been working in Charlotte’s jail since 2008, Smith said. Its most recent contract was set to expire later this year, but was cut short by the termination letter, he added.

The $10.66 million contract was supposed to last from December 2022 to November.

The sheriff’s office and Wellpath had discussions before Wellpath sent its letter of termination, Smith said. In a statement provided to The Charlotte Observer, Wellpath said it’s been “grappling with the economic realities, cost increases, and nationwide nursing shortages resulting from the Covid-19 pandemic.”

“We have great respect for Sheriff McFadden and appreciate the partnership with him and his office, and our team on the ground continues to work tirelessly to provide quality care to patients in Mecklenburg County,” said Chris Hartline, a spokesperson for the company, said in an email to The Observer.

Wellpath plans to participate in the rebid process, which it hopes will result in a contract “better aligned with the current workforce market and the ongoing mission of providing quality care to our patients at Mecklenburg County,” Hartline added.

Wellpath has been sued for the care it’s offered across the country. A review of lawsuits filed between 2014 and 2018 showed that it was accused of contributing to more than 70 deaths, CNN reported in 2019.

Two Charlotte inmates died in December after reported medical emergencies.

Those deaths were “not relevant” to the contract’s termination, Smith said.

In Charlotte, the sheriff’s office was satisfied with Wellpath’s work, he said.

“The challenges are nothing no other business or agency hasn’t experienced,” Smith said. “For example, there have been times when staffing levels were lower than contracted but Wellpath has used overtime and agency nurses to fill vacancies.”

This story was originally published February 6, 2024 at 9:33 AM.

Ryan Oehrli

The Charlotte Observer

Ryan Oehrli writes about criminal justice for The Charlotte Observer. His reporting has delved into police misconduct, jail and prison deaths, the state’s pardon system and more. He was also part of a team of Pulitzer finalists who covered Hurricane Helene. A North Carolina native, he grew up in Beaufort County.