County to consider contracting with new company for 24/7 nurses at the Jail for inmate healthcare

August 20, 2021
By: Dwayne Page

Should nurses be provided around the clock, seven days a week for inmate healthcare at the DeKalb County Jail?

The County ‘s Health, Education & Public Welfare Committee is making that recommendation and the county commission will consider it during the regular monthly meeting Monday night.

Currently the county is under contract with Advanced Correctional Healthcare of Franklin to provide a 12 hour nurse, seven days a week for inmate care at the jail but that deal expires August 31.

Although it will cost more on the front end, Sheriff Patrick Ray is recommending that the county sign on with a new company to provide 24/7 nursing care at the jail. He formally made the request at the Health, Education & Public Welfare Committee meeting on Monday, August 9 and representatives of three companies including Advanced Correctional Healthcare were also there to present proposals for the county to consider.

The committee voted to recommend that the county commission enter into a contract with Fast Access of Chattanooga to provide 24/7 nurses at the jail. The annual cost would be $377,880, which is an increase of $134,223 above what the county currently pays Advanced Correctional Healthcare for providing a 12 hour, seven day a week nurse. Since the 2021-22 county budget has already been adopted, the extra funds needed to pay for this new service, if approved, would be allocated from the county’s fund balance.

Fast Access’ proposal was the least expensive of the three submitted. Advanced Correctional Healthcare offered to provide 24/7 nursing care for $421,679 including $20,000 pool money while Quality Correctional Healthcare presented a plan for $420,348.

During Thursday night’s county commission committee meeting of the whole, Sheriff Ray said the liability risk to the county is too great not to have 24/7 nurses at the jail and in the long run it could save the county money.

“Currently during the 12 hour period when the nurse is not there, our correctional officers have to fix the inmates’ medications, draw insulin out of a bottle, take blood pressures, and do assessments on inmates for the doctors. We are going beyond the scope of what our expertise is as correctional officers at the jail. I am very concerned about the liability of our department taking on medical things. To cover the county, myself, and my department we ask for a 24 hour nurse and while it costs more there will be cost savings later in terms of emergency room visits. A lot of ER visits we make are due to inmate chest pains when the nurse is not there because they (prisoners) know we have to send them to the ER. An average ER bill is now probably $5,000 to $7,000 and if there are any extras the bill goes up from there. We can buy an EKG machine at a discounted rate from them (Fast Access) and let them do the EKGs in the jail instead of having to carry them to the emergency room to do them. I think that will save us some money on ER trips. I also called our insurance carrier for liability insurance and it will save us some money on our premiums next year by having 24 hour nurses,” said Sheriff Ray.

The county commission will meet Monday night, August 23 at 6:30 p.m. in the auditorium of the Mike Foster Multi-Purpose Center.

August 19, 2021
By: Dwayne Page

More people are living in DeKalb County today than ten years ago.

Tennessee’s census data is out, showing a 7.2% population growth in DeKalb County over the last decade.

According to the 2020 census numbers made available by the Upper Cumberland Development District, DeKalb County’s population stands at 20,080, up from 18,723 in 2010, a growth of 1,357 people.

The City of Smithville experienced a 10.5% population growth from 4,530 in 2010 to 5,004 in 2020. That’s 474 more people.

Liberty grew 7.7% or 24 people from 310 to 334.

Alexandria’s population increased by 1.6% or 15 people from 966 to 981

Dowelltown’s census dropped by 3.7% or 13 people going from 355 to 342.

Meanwhile the Upper Cumberland region as a whole grew by 21,513 people since 2010.

Putnam, Van Buren and Cumberland Counties led the way in growth by percentage. Van Buren County grew its population by 11.2 percent; Putnam County, 10.4 percent; and Cumberland County 9.1 percent.

Three Upper Cumberland Counties lost residents over that time. Clay County dropped 280 residents, Pickett County 76 residents, and Jackson County 21 residents.

The list of Upper Cumberland Counties alphabetically includes:

Clay County lost 3.6 percent of its population, 280 residents

Cumberland County grew by 9.1 percent, adding 5,092 people

DeKalb County jumped by 7.2 percent, 1,357

Fentress County up by 3 percent, 530 residents

Jackson County lost 0.02 percent of its population, 21 people

Overton County grew by 1.9 percent, adding 428 residents

Pickett County dropped 1.5 percent, losing 76

Putnam County grew by 10.4 percent, 7,533 people

Van Buren County jumped by 11.2 percent, 620 residents

Warren County up by 2.8 percent, adding 1,114

White County grew by 5.8 percent, 1,510 people

August 19, 2021
By: Dwayne Page

Pay Raises approved!

A group of county employees along with DeKalb County teachers, support staff, and bus drivers will soon be seeing larger paychecks with passage of the consolidated budget by the county commission Tuesday night

Teachers and support staff in the DeKalb County School System will be getting the largest local pay raise ever in a single year. The plan was first adopted by the Board of Education before being recommended by the county budget committee for the 2021-22 year. With passage of the school budget by the county commission Tuesday night teachers and other certified personnel will each get a $5,000 raise while support staff will each earn $3,000 more. Bus drivers will not share in the support staff raises but will be getting a pay hike just for them. Starting pay for bus drivers will jump from $74 to $100 per day. Pay for bus drivers with five or more years of service is to go to $115 per day and drivers of special education bus routes are to earn $120 per day. Meanwhile all middle and high school head coaches and assistant coaches are to each get an increase of $715 in supplement pay. Money is also included in the budget to fund an assistant coaching position in nine sports programs at the middle school and high school where the head coach currently has no assistant coach.

Except for step increases, base pay for a particular group of county employees has not been adjusted in four years. That will soon change.

Wage Scale 2

Wage Scale 

With passage of the budget Tuesday night, the county is revising the base pay of county employees who fall under two separate wage scales already in place. Both are 13-tiered plans including an administrative employee pay scale which tops out at 20 years and applies mainly to employees who work for elected and appointed county officials at the courthouse and county complex. The other plan tops out at 13 years and is for full-time library staff and senior center directors.

Under the 20-year plan, the pay increases could range from $3,744 to $4,896 annually depending on years of service, while raises for those in the 13-year plan are jumping by $2,976 to $4,128. The total amount of the proposed pay hikes, including benefits, will add $129,703 in new spending to the county budget for the 2021-22 fiscal year.

Custodians who work at the courthouse and county complex will get at least a $3,000 pay raise according to their wage scale

Full time solid waste CDL drivers and laborers are to get a pay raise according to their wage scale

The three Judicial Commissioners are to each get a $1,000 per year pay raise. The salaries are to go from $12,900 to $13,900 per year

The Juvenile Court Youth Service Officer is to get a $4,000 pay raise

The county’s existing shared county firefighter position pay will increase from $12 to $15 per hour (total cost $31,200). No one specific individual holds the 40 hour per week position. Available county firefighters, who are trained and certified, rotate in and out of the position as needed. No one works more than 24 hours per week.

Pay raise for EMS director: $2,000

County public officials are getting a pay raise as prescribed by the state

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