Inmate health care cost could rise by 70%

Salt Lake City doc says he needs to pay higher wages, benefits for nursing staff.

By Kate Ready Justice Reporter
Kate_Ready

Kate Ready covers criminal justice and emergency news. Originally from Denver, Kate studied English Literature at UC Berkeley and is excited to bring her love for the mountains and storytelling to Jackson.

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Apr 17, 2024
Apr 17, 2024
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Teton County Jail — Teton County Sheriff’s Lt. Troy Sutton, who manages the jail, submitted a proposal to county commissioners in March asking to boost the jail’s health care budget from $232,000 per year to $395,000, a 70% increase, in part to help bring the salaries of nurses who service the jail in line with others in the county.
BRADLY J. BONER / NEWS&GUIDE

Teton County Sheriff’s Lt. Troy Sutton, who manages the jail, submitted a proposal to county commissioners in March asking to boost the jail’s health care budget from $232,000 per year to $395,000, a 70% increase, in part to help bring the salaries of nurses who service the jail in line with others in the county.
BRADLY J. BONER / NEWS&GUIDE

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Commissioners may get sticker shock when they see how much health care could cost at Teton County Jail going forward. The physician who contracts with the facility to provide inmates with health care says that a 70% increase is needed to pay a competitive wage and retain his nursing staff amidst high living costs.

Dr. Kennon Tubbs, 54, has contracted with the Teton County Sheriff’s Office for providing care at the jail since 2016. Tubbs is a Salt Lake City physician who travels to Jackson several times a year to give care. He and his team of five — two full-time nurses and one part-time nurse, a nurse practitioner and mental health provider — provide medical services 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

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The room at Teton County Jail where inmates are treated by medical personnel.
BRADLY J. BONER / NEWS&GUIDE

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Kevin Espinoza mans the survailence station last week at Teton County Jail.
BRADLY J. BONER / NEWS&GUIDE

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Contact Kate Ready at 307-732-7076 or kready@jhnewsandguide.com.

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Kate_Ready

Kate Ready covers criminal justice and emergency news. Originally from Denver, Kate studied English Literature at UC Berkeley and is excited to bring her love for the mountains and storytelling to Jackson.

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