EVERETT — The Snohomish County Jail has moved into an era of electronic medical records, a change officials hope will better meet the needs of inmates with health problems.
The new technology was one of several recommendations made following federal audits of the jail’s daily operations and medical care. The outside reviews were requested after a series of jail deaths, including some that led to multimillion-dollar legal claims alleging that inmates died after being denied basic medical care.
The county was able to bring in the computer medical system earlier than expected and under budget, officials said.
“It is another step,” Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman Shari Ireton said.
The county has followed several other recommendations made in the jail audits.
A doctor has been hired to work inside the jail. The sheriff’s office also is pressing for more nurses and has dropped contracts with cities from other counties to reduce the inmate population. All inmates are also getting medical and mental health evaluations during booking.
The electronic medical records system was brought on line Wednesday and has reduced the average booking time for each inmate by about 30 minutes.
“When you figure we do (about) 90 inmates a day, that adds up,” Ireton said.
The technology also is providing quicker access for staff throughout the jail to the medical records. Before there would be a paper file that would follow inmates from place to place.
“It is just so much faster and reliable and it’s easier to order medications,” Ireton said. “The standard of care that we typically expect in the 21st Century we are now able to deliver in the jail.”
Eric Stevick: 425-339-3446; stevick@heraldnet.com.
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