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Source: https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/...h-13639281.php
Kansas to treat most dire of 600 inmates with hepatitis C
Updated 9:00 am PST, Saturday, February 23, 2019
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) ? Nearly 600 Kansas inmates have tested positive for hepatitis C, but corrections officials are focusing on treating only the most advanced cases because they don't have the money to treat them all.
Corrections Interim Secretary Roger Werholtz told the Wichita Eagle that the department wants to ensure that all infected inmates get treated before their release.
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"We don't want them carrying the disease out of the facility," Werholtz said.
But due to budget constraints and the high cost of treatment ? a 12-week course costs about $15,000 per inmate ? the state will focus on the most serious cases first. Werholtz said 43 inmates are considered a high priority for treatment.
The Kansas Department of Corrections estimates that treating all 591 inmates would cost roughly $9 million, and a state contract with Corizon Correctional Healthcare sets aside only $1.5 million per year for treatment...
Kansas to treat most dire of 600 inmates with hepatitis C
Updated 9:00 am PST, Saturday, February 23, 2019
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) ? Nearly 600 Kansas inmates have tested positive for hepatitis C, but corrections officials are focusing on treating only the most advanced cases because they don't have the money to treat them all.
Corrections Interim Secretary Roger Werholtz told the Wichita Eagle that the department wants to ensure that all infected inmates get treated before their release.
Recommended Video
"We don't want them carrying the disease out of the facility," Werholtz said.
But due to budget constraints and the high cost of treatment ? a 12-week course costs about $15,000 per inmate ? the state will focus on the most serious cases first. Werholtz said 43 inmates are considered a high priority for treatment.
The Kansas Department of Corrections estimates that treating all 591 inmates would cost roughly $9 million, and a state contract with Corizon Correctional Healthcare sets aside only $1.5 million per year for treatment...