Officials face high medical care demand at Worcester County Jail

SNOWHILL, Md. – The Worcester County Jail is facing a major challenge.

According to the warden, medical care demand is at an all-time high, and now they are doing everything they can to meet these needs.

“We had some 26,332 demand call services in 2018, which isn’t really something that the county was set up to handle at that level of responsibility,” said the Worcester County Chief Administrative Officer Harold Higgins.

That is why the county will pay over 100,000 dollars more to bring in more medical staffing to the County Jail, including a Director of Nursing. And, by law the county must give inmates medical care.

“By law we are required to offer medical service both the medical and the mental service to any detainee,” said Higgins, “We have to look at that demand and adjust accordingly.”

The chief administrative officer said more than half of all inmates are immigrants, and that is why many do not have normal health care available to them.

“We have immigrants come into this country who probably didn’t have the optimum health care coming here so again they’re going to bring those illnesses and sicknesses to the county,” said Higgins.

The Chief Administrative Officer also said there may be an increase in this demand during the coming years.