Tumwater renews contract with Nisqually Corrections Center

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The Tumwater City Council authorized Mayor Debbie Sullivan to renew its jail services agreement with the Nisqually Indian Tribe to provide housing for the city’s inmates at the Nisqually Detention and Corrections Center.

Tumwater’s contract with the tribe expired in December 2022. The city council approved the agreement renewal as part of their consent agenda at a meeting on Tuesday, May 9.

Documents prepared for the meeting stated that the five-year contract provides inmates with medical services recently introduced at the jail last year. Medical services provided in the facility include medical consultation, physical examination, mental health assessment, routine medication, and routine lab work.

Tumwater would cover all medical services that cannot be provided inside the facility, such as prenatal care, ultrasounds, non-formulary and biological medications, and other services relating to dentistry, vision and mental health. The city would also be responsible for pre-booking medical, ambulance services, emergency room visits, and hospitalizations. The city must reimburse Nisqually $48.50 per hour for every officer accompanying an inmate in a hospital.

According to the new contract, the city would pay the tribe a basic rate of $110 per day per inmate, with the rate set to increase by 5% each year for the contract duration.

The rate of the prior contract, which was signed in 2017, started at $60 with a 3% annual increase rate. A 2022 amendment raised the basic daily rate to $100.

Special rates are applied to inmates with medical needs. The rate is $180 per day for inmates that are in a designated medical unit or are undergoing medical detox, and $140 per day for inmates who benefit from on-site pharmacy services.

The facility also provides designated units for inmates with mental health needs. The daily rate is $160 for those that require compliant mental healthcare and $210 for inmates with acute mental health.

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