Virginia’s nearly 25,000 inmates will get a new healthcare provider thanks to a ruling from the state’s Supreme Court this weekend.
Justices denied an Emergency Motion to Stay and Petition for Review, effectively rejecting a last-ditch effort by current medical provider, Armor Correctional Health, to block the cancellation of its contract with the Virginia Department of Corrections.
That opens the door for the state to begin de-privatizing healthcare and fully assume responsibility for delivering those services, said Harold Clarke, director of the Department of Corrections.
“Today’s proceedings are a victory for the quality of healthcare in our facilities,” Clarke said, in a statement to the press. “Our goal has always been to provide the constitutionally-mandated level of healthcare in our facilities and this transition will ensure that we are able to continue to do so in the future.”
A temporary healthcare provider, VitalCore Health Strategies, will take over as soon as this week, as the department begins switching from its long-time practice of using private contractors.