Turn Key Health Walks Away From Oklahoma County Jail
On October 9, 2024, Turn Key Health Clinics ended its contract to provide healthcare at the Oklahoma County Jail in Oklahoma City. The firm gave notice 30 days earlier, after winning just a one-year $7.4 million extension to the contract it has held since 2018; Turn Key wanted a longer deal, and when it didn’t get one, it terminated its contract and left.
In doing so, the contractor accused jailers of maintaining insufficient guard staff to provide security and escorts for detainees needing medical attention. “We can’t provide the quality of care we expect from our team if we can’t access patients in need,” declared company spokesperson Kenna Griffin.
After the Oklahoma County Justice Authority (OCJA) took over jail operations from then-Sheriff P.D. Taylor in 2020, there were 39 detainee deaths through September 2023, as PLN reported. [See: PLN, Mar. 2024, p.1.] OCJA board members then couldn’t agree to renew Turn Key’s contract when it expired in June 2024, leaving the company working on a month-to-month basis until the one-year extension was signed in September 2024. But within hours, Turn Key made its dissatisfaction with that agreement known and gave notice it was leaving.
OCJA has since hired 62 former Turn Key staffers, who continue to provide detainee medical care while reporting to jail CEO Brandi Gardner. Meanwhile, OCJA board members reviewed contract proposals from new healthcare and mental healthcare vendors on October 9, 2024, accepting none and opting to continue negotiations.
Source: Frontier, KOSU, Oklahoman
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