WASHINGTON CO. JAIL DISPUTE COSTING COUNTY TAX DOLLARS
An impasse between the Washington County Sheriff and the Medical Director for the County Jail is costing the county and its taxpayers money.
KWHI News has learned that Washington County Sheriff Otto Hanak is no longer allowing Jail Medical Director Dr. Robert Stark to treat prisoners. Instead, Sheriff Hanak says that Washington County EMS is being called to either treat prisoners at the jail, or transfer them to the emergency room at Baylor Scott and White Hospital in Brenham.
This is the same situation that existed years ago before former Jail Medical Director Dr. Stuart Yoffe completely revamped the way prisoners were treated for medical issues. That change brought about by Dr. Yoffe saved the County and its taxpayers through the years millions of dollars which were being spent at the emergency room.
Sheriff Otto Hanak would not comment on the dispute with Dr. Stark, saying he is not an employee of the Sheriff’s Office, but of the Commissioners Court. However, he did not dispute that Dr. Stark is no longer allowed inside the jail.
In the past when there was no Medical Director available, Hanak has said that Washington County EMS was being called to the jail several times daily for prisoners complaining about medical issues.
KWHI contacted Washington County Judge John Durrenberger for his comments on the situation at the jail. Durrenberger declined to discuss the matter, saying it was an employee issue.
KWHI also reached out to Dr. Stark to hear his side of the story, but he said as a county employee that he is unable to comment on the issue at this time.
KWHI will continue to follow this story, and will report on the additional cost to the county and its taxpayers for using EMS to transport patients, and for the extra cost of having the hospital emergency room treat them.
The County Judge and Commissioners have no business in law enforcement. If Sheriff Hanak thinks there needs to be a different medical professional in the jail, that’s what needs to happen. End of story. Keep your books and let them keep their jail. HE and his staff knows what is best for the community’s safety.
The sheriff should simply be allowed to replace the medical director and continue current protocol..there must be a good reason that the current director has been curtailed and i trust the judgement of this sheriff; however, that having been said, these prisoners are dependant on us to take care of them and as a civilized people we must make sure they have good medical care…
The “no comment” from everyone involved when taxpayer money is on the line is not acceptable. Either quickly resolve the situation or allow tax payers who pay the costs of these dispute to know what is going on so that we can weigh in. It is really tiresome when our elected representatives fail to provide information to us about what is happening in the governmental organizations that we pay for and fund.
This is a prime example as to why know one even cares for the justice and police system.
Always trying to take something away to make it worse on others.
The county judge needs to tell us what is being done to fix this situation. Why? Because taxpayers are currently at risk of a huge lawsuit if a person in custody of a Washington County were to be seriously injured or die. The sheriff is a department function of the county and his budget is set by the Judge and his court Commissioners. The medical director of the jail is being denied access to the jail and this is opening the county taxpayers to an enormous legal cause of action and expensive lawsuit settlement! Please solve this, and please show us either a Judge or Commissioner who steps up and leads, we cannot keep floating with no rudder.
We, as taxpayers need to see the cost differential. Someone needs to provide answers to the public instead of passing the buck.
No surprise here. County judge doesn’t like to answer any controversial questions, ever. The commissioners court has money to burn, ours. But we have our own helicopter service and a very expensive wider entrance to the new county road barn. It’s what you get with single view point majority.
Sounds like the typical egotistical dispute between politicians and, as usual, they cannit let go of ego for the betterment of the people they’re supposed to be serving. This is ridiculous. Let the doctor in the jail and stop wasting the time and money (not to mention radio time actual officers and medics need) needed to ferry inmates across town all day long.