Nine inmates at Rockdale County Jail are receiving HIV treatment, up from three. Taxpayers are covering medication costs of more than $50,000, while experts caution that the increase in the jail’s count alone does not establish a new public-health issue.
Naphcare, which is contracted to treat inmates at the jail, does not receive Medicaid payment for their care once they are incarcerated, a company spokesperson told county commissioners. The spokesperson said Naphcare’s costs had tripled and put HIV medication at roughly $4,000 to $6,000 per patient each month.
The count may not include everyone who needs treatment. Inmates can opt out of testing, so the number of people with HIV in the jail who need medication could be higher.
Public health expert Dr. Daniel Driffin said the change from three inmates to nine is not, by itself, a reason for public alarm. He compared the jail figure with the roughly 60,000 people living with HIV across Georgia.
The Georgia Department of Health said a fuller assessment would need to establish whether people were diagnosed before or after entering the jail and whether they lived in Rockdale County or elsewhere in Georgia before incarceration.
Dr. Anne Paulding, an Emory epidemiology professor, also said the higher costs do not mean the Rockdale community needs to be concerned. She noted that jails can hold people living with HIV who are disproportionately taken into custody.
Marcus Jones
News Now Georgia
