ATLANTA — It appears Fulton County could extend its contract with the county jail's controversial medical provider NaphCare.
The current agreement was set to end on May 31, but then it was extended to June 30. Now that an indefinite contract extension is on the table, those who have raised concerns about the healthcare provider in the past are in an uproar.
“I truly am shocked to know about extending this contract with this medical contractor,” said Michael Harper, the attorney for Lashawn Thompson, a Fulton County inmate who died while in custody.
Harper said after Thompson was placed in jail, he was "completely neglected" by jail staff and the medical contractor.
"He lost about 30 to 40 pounds while he was there, he was malnourished, he was dehydrated, and they found him dead on the floor of that cell infested with bedbugs in insects,” Harper said.
Photos | Man covered in bed bugs, found dead in filthy conditions inside Fulton County Jail
Harper said he and Thompson's family met with Fulton County Sheriff Pat Labat personally.
“He (Labat) put the blame squarely on the medical contractor NaphCare and specifically told him he was going to end the contract with NaphCare," Harper said.
However, according to the Fulton County Commission agenda for Wednesday, commissioners are set to vote on extending the county's agreement with Naphcare to provide medical services at the jail.
The proposed agreement would run from July 1-- with both sides being able to terminate the agreement with just six months' notice. The agreement calls for 13 additional employees and requires Fulton County to pay the full cost for HIV and Hepatitis C medication.
Additionally, the agreement grants the county immunity from medical malpractice claims. A move that has organizations like Justice for Georgia uneasy.
“By renewing the contract with them it just shows that you don’t care about these inmates,” said Brittany Burns, one of the founders at Justice for Georgia. “It shows that your comfort with comfortability rather than 'let's see who else, who can help these inmates.'"
11Alive reached out to NaphCare, Fulton County and jail officials for comments but did not get a response. However, the proposed agreement states that the renewal is being done “Due to the high quality of healthcare and mental health services provided, as well as the inability to contract with another health care services provider in due time.”
An issue Harper worries will cause more harm than good
“I suspect that unfortunately based on the status quo more people at the jail will die due to inadequate healthcare," Harper added.
Fulton County Commissioners still have to vote on the measure, which is expected to occur during Wednesday's meeting.