Additionally, because tribal members are subject to court proceedings outside of the state and federal systems, the jail would often have to hold the inmates longer than they otherwise would. The medical staff is responsible for health screenings, immediate care, prescription verification/ordering and medical appointment scheduling (physical, substance abuse, and mental) that cannot be handled in the facility.Īccording to Phillips, inmates, some of whom were from the tribe, were coming into the jail with blood alcohol concentrations over three times the legal driving limit, and two suffered cardiac arrests that would require the use of CPR and AED applications along with Narcan, the nasal spray used to reverse opioid overdoses. Jailers are responsible for the health, safety, and wellbeing of inmates that include 24-hour monitoring for health (mental and physical) ailments/symptoms, injuries, and medication (including OTC) disbursement. The duties of the jail staff include inmate medical/court transports and medication pickups. This has increased the responsibility of our patrol, jail, and medical staff,” Phillips said. “Over the last couple years there has been a substantial change in inmates that include mental health, substance abuse, and severity of medical/health ailments.
