June 15, 2015
By Stephanie West
New York— New York City will return the management of correctional health services to the Health and Hospitals Corporation. The contracting of these services with Corizon, Inc. and Damian Family Care Centers, Inc will not be renewed. HHC will be solely accountable for the quality of care provided to the 70,000 people moving through the correctional system each year and the coordination and continuity of services to people during and after incarceration.
“We have an essential responsibility to provide every individual in our City’s care with high-quality health services – and our inmates are no different,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio. “This transfer to HHC will give our administration direct control and oversight of our inmates’ health services – furthering our goal of improving the quality and continuity of healthcare for every inmate in City custody.”
HHC is the largest public health care delivery system in the nation and is equipped to provide necessary services to inmates and patients under care of the correctional department. A more transparent and seamless coordination of services is expected under HHC.
“The Mayor and I have said from the beginning that we need to bring real, lasting reform to the city’s jails – and moving healthcare services to HHC represents another strong step in our top-to-bottom reform of our city’s correctional system," said DOC Commissioner Joe Ponte.
