After facing sharp criticism last year for the jail’s medical provider, Corizon Health, Inc., Sheriff Bill Brown will enter contract negotiations with California Forensics Medical Group (CFMG), the county supervisors decided on Tuesday. Earlier this year, the supervisors hired a consultant to search for a new provider, and they chose CFMG (the state’s largest) over two others, including Corizon. Before negotiations, the $6.5 million contract is priced about $1 million more than its current one. That can mostly be attributed to higher salaries and the fact that CFMG has a “track record of extremely low staff turnover,” which has been a problem here, according to the Sheriff’s Office.
