The performance of Corizon Health Inc., the private health care provider for New York City’s jails, failed to improve last year amid heightened scrutiny over inmate deaths that put the company’s contract under review, says an evaluation obtained by The Associated Press. Corizon, whose three-year, $126 million contract expires Dec. 31, received an overall rating of “fair” in 2014 for the second straight year after being downgraded from “good,” says an annual review conducted by the city health department.
Officials noted the Brentwood, Tn.-based company improved its care of mentally ill inmates, who make up about 40 percent of the 10,000-inmates in the city’s Rikers Island jail complex. The company did a “subpar” job prioritizing the sickest inmates to be seen in jail health clinics, the evaluation shows. A spokeswoman for Mayor Bill de Blasio said the Corizon contract is still under review. The health department has not issued any formal requests for proposals to solicit new bids. A person with knowledge of the administration’s discussion said it was likely the city’s public hospital system would take over inmate care.