BRENTWOOD, Tenn., May 26, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Corizon Health announced today that Okaloosa County Jail, where Corizon provides medical and mental health services, has become the first correctional facility in the state of Florida and only the second in the nation to achieve accreditation in Standards for Mental Health Services in Correctional Facilities from the National Commission on Correctional Healthcare (NCCHC). The achievement means that the Okaloosa Department of Corrections (OCDOC), a longtime Corizon partner, now holds dual accreditation---for medical and mental health services---from NCCHC, the industry’s national accrediting body.
Expanded services at the facility that made the accreditation possible include a more extensive mental-health screening on all inmates at intake, enhanced treatment planning for mental health patients, and heightened coordination for discharge planning. NCCHC requires compliance with 58 mental health standards as part of the accreditation review. The Okaloosa facility has been accredited by NCCHC for medical services since 2003.
C. Eric Esmond, Chief Correctional Officer for the OCDOC, said, “The passion and devotion Okaloosa County Department of Corrections and Corizon Health invest in our mutual relationship is the foundation of the many successes we experience on a daily, weekly, monthly, and annual basis. There is a distinctive commitment to work in concert. As the facility’s head administrator, I could not be more fortunate to share the entire Corizon team’s commitment to its partnership with the OCDOC. It is an honor to serve with a group dedicated to the spirit of service, and hats off to our Corizon Health Services Administrator, Susan Priddy.”
“We want to set our people up for success. For the jail, in partnership with Corizon, to increase the commitment to this level of mental-health services sends a message to the community that we are vested and focused on tools we can give the inmates to succeed as they return to the community,” said Priddy.
W. Diane Wood, Corizon’s director of behavioral health for community corrections, said, “We are very proud of the Okaloosa team. Their daily team work, compassion, and commitment to delivering quality services facilitated their success. This accreditation puts them at the forefront nationally of best practices in mental healthcare delivery.”
About Corizon Health
Corizon Health is a leading provider of correctional healthcare services in the United States, providing quality healthcare services to states and municipalities across the country for more than 40 years. Corizon offers comprehensive solutions for medical care, behavioral care, pharmaceutical and re-entry services. For more information, please visit www.corizonhealth.com.
MEDIA CONTACT:
Corporate Communications
media@corizonhealth.com
615-660-6789
A video accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/b6c86254-76bd-4067-be26-49d9725827ed