Full Notification

The National Commission on Correctional Health Care has re-accredited the Harris County Jail through 2016 for the medical treatment of inmates.

Following an on-site visit by accreditors and subsequent exchanges of information, the commission found the county jail system in downtown Houston to be in compliance with all 31 national standards for inmate health care.

The Harris County Jail essentially is the largest mental health in-patient treatment center in Texas, with about 25 percent of inmates on any given day needing psychotropic medication.

The jail typically houses 100 or so pregnant inmates and has special care protocols for inmates with HIV/AIDS, infectious diseases and other conditions.

In late 2013 the NCCHC gave its Program of the Year Award to the Mental Health and Medical Security Unit of the Harris County Jail, lauding the training and work of deputies who secure and help care for inmates in the jail's mental health unit.

Dr. Michael Seale directs medical care at the Harris County Jail. He is also a member of the Texas Commission on Jail Standards, which regulates all county jails in the state.

"I salute our entire medical staff for setting a national example for inmate health care as well as meeting all national standards," Sheriff Adrian Garcia said. "Meeting our obligation under the law to provide medical treatment for inmates means keeping the jail safe for inmates and staff, keeping the public safe and reducing any financial liability for county government."

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