Mission Statement
Our mission is to provide the highest quality of care to our incarcerated population. We also aim to ensure there is no interruption of services upon release.
We provide acute and chronic disease management that follows national standards and the Federal Bureau of Prisons Guidelines. Our population with chronic conditions can be managed and treated at the site levels by several physicians with a wide variety of healthcare experience. The IDOC oversees the quality of care and monitors performance measures on a regular basis. The IDOC utilizes the Chief Medical Officer, the Director of Health Care Services, and four Quality Assurance Managers to ensure that these standards are being met. There is also one Data and Communication Specialist utilized to increase efficiency, monitor metrics, and determine trends to help improve the quality of care provided. One Administrative Assistant coordinates the daily functioning of the Division.
The IDOC is at the forefront of providing quality care. The inclusion of treatment for Hepatitis A and C as well as the introduction and use of Narcan helps align the IDOC with Governor Holcomb’s five pillars of his agenda. The IDOC also uses telehealth programs for the chronically ill. This telehealth option helps provide onsite specialist care in a safe and secure environment that was not available in the past.
Each facility has access to nursing care and physician coverage. The IDOC features seven facilities with infirmaries that utilize 24-hour nursing coverage and onsite providers for medical and dental needs. These infirmaries provide hospice and end of life care to patients in need. These sites also operate as in-patient medical units including one site that provides hemodialysis and another that houses expectant mothers. There are processes in place to utilize emergency procedures for medical emergencies.
One facility has a housing unit that is designed to assist those patients who have impaired cognitive functioning, such as dementia or those who have suffered a stroke. This provides an opportunity to encourage qualified incarcerated individual volunteers to act as assistants to those patients that require a little extra guidance. They will remind these patients to go to chow or med line or provide a gentle reminder to complete activities of daily living. This unit allows patients to remain in a general population setting without taking away what is left of their independence for as long as possible. The IDOC utilizes incarcerated individual volunteers in helping others, such as a hospice volunteer. This volunteer training encourages patients to reach out beyond their comfort zones and see that they too can make a difference.
Physical Health needs are met with the highest quality of care by offering: Medical Care, Infirmary Care, Hospice Care, Optometry, Dental, Auditory, Physical Therapy, Laboratory Services, and Radiology Services.