Governor Spencer Cox, Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) Executive Director Tracy Gruber, and Correctional Health Services (CHS) Director Dr. Marcus Wisner recently gathered to celebrate a historic milestone: achieving full accreditation from the National Commission on Correctional Health Care (NCCHC) across Utah’s state correctional facilities.
To resolve past long-standing operational hurdles – including a 43 percent staffing vacancy rate – operations at the Central Utah Correctional Center and the Utah State Correctional Center shifted to be under DHHS.
Working in close partnership with the Utah Department of Corrections, the CHS team modernized clinical workflows, established in-house dialysis, launched barcode medication tracking for upwards of 300,000 monthly prescriptions, and grew behavioral health staffing to more than a dozen employees.
Gruber noted that since DHHS assumed responsibility for correctional care, CHS’ evolution has reached a point where it earned that agency’s award for being one of the most innovative units.
Commending staff for breaking down institutional barriers to deliver compassionate, high-standard care behind the walls, Gov. Cox honored the team’s dedication to serving some of the state’s most vulnerable individuals, recognizing their tireless commitment to building a model healthcare system for Utah.
“That’s the thing I’m the most proud of, is that all of you sacrificed to figure out a way to make all of this work and to create a model that is working,” said Gov. Cox during the ceremony.
Dr. Wisner also thanked both CHS and UDC staff for their efforts. “We couldn’t do this without this team, and certainly not without our correction partners,” Dr. Wisner said.