Public Radio for the Piedmont and High Country
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Forsyth County Approves New Jail Medical Provider

Forsyth County Commissioners discuss agenda items at a recent meeting. Screenshot KERI BROWN/WFDD

The Forsyth County Detention Center will have a new health care provider for inmates at the facility. Commissioners officially approved a new contract with NaphCare.

The company isn't a stranger to Forsyth County. NaphCare provided health services at the jail from 2004 through 2009.

The more than $19-million contract is for two years and 10 months and includes additional funding to support an increased focus on providing more behavioral and mental health services for inmates.

Wellpath is the county's current medical provider for the detention center. Some local activist groups have called for the county to cut ties with the company after the death of John Neville in December 2019. Neville died after being restrained in the facility. The incident led to protests in the streets and six detention center workers charged with involuntary manslaughter, including a nurse employed by Wellpath.

County leaders say their decision was based on a competitive bidding process this year with several companies, and in the end, NaphCare submitted the best proposal to meet the county's needs.

NaphCare will begin providing health services at the jail on September 1.

Keri Brown is a multi-award winning reporter and host at 88.5 WFDD. She has been honored with two regional Edward R. Murrow awards for her stories about coal ash, and was named the 2015 radio reporter of the year by the Radio Television Digital News Association of the Carolinas (RTDNAC).Although she covers a variety of topics, her beats are environmental and education reporting.Keri comes to the Triad from West Virginia Public Broadcasting, where she served as the Chief Bureau Reporter for the Northern Panhandle. She produced stories for the state's Public Television and Radio programs and was honored by the West Virginia Associated Press Broadcasters Association for her feature and enterprise reporting.She also served as an adjunct instructor at Wheeling Jesuit University and Bethany College in West Virginia. She worked with the Center for Educational Technologies in Wheeling, WV, and other NASA centers across the country to develop several stories about the use of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) concepts in the classroom.Keri's journalism career began at WTRF-TV 7 in Wheeling. She worked in several roles at the station, including the head assignment editor. She also was a field producer and assignment manager at WPGH-TV Fox 53 in Pittsburgh.Keri is a graduate of Ohio University. When she's not in the studio or working on a story, she enjoys watching college football with her family, cooking, and traveling.Keri is always looking for another great story idea, so please share them with her. You can follow her on Twitter @kerib_news.

Support quality journalism, like the story above,
with your gift right now.

Donate