Article: Jails aim to give inmates quality medical care

SPANISH FORK -- Utah County Jail inmate Marcos Flores got his tooth filled recently, but something went wrong and now it's infected. Tuesday afternoon he sat handcuffed to a bench in the medical unit, waiting to see the dentist.

"It's good," the inmate said of health services in jail. "But you gotta wait another week if they don't do it right."

Each day, nurses visit the jail's housing pods, pushing a medicine cart like vendors at a baseball game, handing out pills approved by the jail's doctors and psychiatrists.

On an average day, 30 percent of inmates are receiving treatment or counseling for mental health issues or depression. Others, like Flores, are getting cavities filled or receiving ...

Related newspaper, magazine, and journal articles:

Newsweek Harper's Magazine The Washington Post Chicago Tribune Crain's Chicago Business PRNewswire Pediatric News The Nation Advertising Age The Economist (US) A FREE trial gives you access to over 80 million articles! Access over 6,500 publications with a FREE trial!