The Medical Unit works diligently to provide quality health care to inmates. Dental services are available twice weekly and a psychologist sees patients one day a week. The jail has its own in-house pharmacy to ensure timely delivery of medications at a decreased cost. The Ada County Jail is an accredited facility with the National Commission on Correctional Health Care. A survey team is sent to the facility every three years to ensure health care standards are being met.
Surveyors interview both facility staff and inmates regarding the health care delivery system.
Health care delivery in a correctional environment is never an easy task and jail populations provide unique difficulty due to their transient nature. Health care delivery is made even more difficult as many inmates do not access health care services on a regular basis outside of jail. This is especially true of the inmate with serious chronic mental illness. These inmates are often homeless, non-compliant with treatment and may have substance abuse issues as well. They seldom have the funds to bond out and may spend several months in jail before their case is adjudicated.