Arkansas Administrative Code › Agency 004 - DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS › Rule 004.00.90-007 - Health Services

Current through Register Vol. 49, No. 6, June, 2024
833
Health Services
I.
Authority
The Board of Correction is vested with the authority to
			 promulgate this Administrative Regulation by Act 50 of 19 68 as amended.
II
Purpose
This Administrative Regulation establishes the mission,
			 components, adherence to appropriate standards and review mechanisms for the
			 provision of health care services in the Department.
III
Applicability
This Administrative Regulation applies to all providers of health
			 care to inmates. It also applies to administrators and staff making referrals
			 and affected by recommendations of health care providers.
IV.
Definitions
A. "Health care" refers to the variety of
		  goods, services, personnel and procedures involved in providing the full range
		  of prevention, evaluation and treatment of dental, medical and mental
		  disorders.
B. "Provider" refers to
		  any health care organization, administrator, professional, paraprofessional or
		  member of support staff, whether employed by the Department, under contract to
		  the Department or paid on a fee-for-service basis, providing health care
		  services to inmates.
C.
		  "Accessible" has a range of meanings depending on the acuteness and seriousness
		  of the health disorder, but generally means that an inmate will be placed in
		  contact with health care staff qualified to evaluate and/or treat the
		  presenting complaint without undue delay or difficulty.
D. "Reasonable and necessary" means that any
		  treatable problem which significantly impairs the functioning of the
		  individual, and/or presents a risk of contagion to others, and/or which is
		  likely to worsen or cause unnecessary suffering without treatment, will be
		  evaluated and treated according to the current community and professional
		  standards and practices of health care.
V.
Policy
It shall be the policy of the Department to provide health care
			 services accessible to all inmates, which, at a minimum, meet reasonable and
			 necessary health care needs.
VI.
Procedures
A. Each service shall be administered from
		  within the Department of Correction in such a way as to ensure proper care of
		  inmates, effective working relations with other divisions and staff, and
		  program consistency with the mission and methods of the Department.
B. Each administratively separate health care
		  service shall establish policy and procedures consistent with applicable
		  standards regulating the professional practices of that service.
C. Each service shall establish a staffing
		  pattern, whether based on funded positions, contract, or fee-for-service, that
		  ensures an adequate number of staff to make services readily available, and
		  proper credentialing to ensure quality of care.
D. Each service shall ensure that all inmates
		  entering the Department are screened, their health status documented, and that
		  referrals for treatment are made promptly when serious needs exist.
E. Each service shall establish procedures
		  for inmate access to necessary services that are not provided within the
		  confines of the Department. When transfer to another facility is required,
		  procedure must address any impact on liberty interests and/or
		  stigmatization.
F. Each service
		  shall have policy and supporting documentation addressing issues of informed
		  consent about procedures, the principle of least restrictive or intrusive
		  treatment, and the right to refuse treatment.
G. Each service shall keep proper records of
		  health needs and service delivery. Procedures will be written for safeguarding
		  confidentiality and for informed consent for release of information.
H. Each service shall have a-mechanism for
		  handling requests '' and grievances in such a manner as to assure prompt
		  attention to needs and rapid resolution of problems.
I. Each service shall have formal lines of
		  communication with the warden/center supervisor to ensure proper notification
		  concerning health needs, health care recommendations and incidents relating to
		  health care services. This line of communication shall also provide for regular
		  meetings to resolve problems and conflicts.
J. Medical Services shall have procedures for
		  dealing with special needs inmates, such as the aged, chronically ill, and
		  those having severely limited perceptual or motor, abilities.
K. Mental Health Services shall have
		  procedures for dealing with mentally disordered, mentally retarded, brain
		  damaged and suicidal inmates, including provisions for special needs inmates
		  requiring intensive and/or long term care.
L. Each service shall establish some
		  mechanism of quality-review and/or certification to ensure that the service is
		  adequately providing for the needs of the inmate population.
M. Each service shall provide for training of
		  staff and inmates in disease prophylaxis, recognition of problems, response to
		  emergency health problems, and health care programs.
VII.
References
Standards for Health Services in Prisons, National Commission on
			 Correctional Health Care, 1987.
Certification Standards for Health Care Programs, American
			 Correctional Association, 1989.
Act 507 of 1981,
			 12-29-405.
Board of Correction Approval Date: 3/30/90
Attorney General Review Date: 3/30/90
Date filed Secy, of State: 4/2/90
Supersedes: 809; 824; 842; 855
Dated: 9/30/82; 2/24/88; 10/18/88;
			 4/18/80