City Lawmakers Probe Health Care Conditions At Rikers Island
NEW YORK (AP) -- New York City lawmakers have peppered city officials and company executives with questions about the quality of health care at Rikers Island jails.
Councilman Corey Johnson told executives of Corizon Health Inc. at an oversight hearing Tuesday that he doesn't have confidence in their leadership.
The Brentwood, Tennessee-based company has a $126.6 million contract to provide health services to inmates in the nation's second-largest jail system.
The Associated Press reported last year on more than a dozen inmate deaths since 2009 that raised questions about the timeliness and quality of care, and Johnson referred Tuesday to that report in his questioning.
Corizon Chief Medical Officer Calvin Johnson said officials are committed to providing high quality care.
The Corizon contract expires Dec. 31, and the city is reviewing possible alternatives.
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