A Justice System’s Major Healthcare Overhaul

New Mexico's largest county jail in Albuquerque has been historically understaffed, overcrowded, and marred by inmate deaths during detox. In 1995, a federal lawsuit cited overcrowding as a factor in violating inmates' rights, while also accusing Bernalillo County of providing inadequate medical and mental health care at the the facility.

Today, the Metropolitan Detention Center is decades into navigating a settlement agreement in that lawsuit. Meanwhile, the pressure on the jail continues, as law enforcement officials have highlighted its importance in being the first opportunity to connect someone with a variety of substance and behavioral health treatments.

So how could a new healthcare provider at the Metropolitan Detention Center improve those issues and ultimately, impact crime?

Since the University of New Mexico Hospital (UNMH) took over as the healthcare provider for inmates this summer, there have already been some major changes. This week, Chris and Gabby host Rodney McNease of UNMH for an extended conversation about what's at play.

As mentioned in the episode, here's a link to the "Last Week Tonight" segment from early October, covering the issue of health care in detention facilities. And here's a link to a dashboard featuring information about MDC's current inmate population.

We appreciate our listeners. Send your feedback or story ideas to hosts chris.mckee@krqe.com or gabrielle.burkhart@krqe.com. We're also on Twitter (X), Facebook, & Instagram at @ChrisMcKeeTV and @gburkNM. For more on this episode and all of our prior episodes, visit our podcast website: KRQE.com/podcasts.