By BECKY KISER
Hays Post

Last month, 397 medical boxes were set up and/or refilled for inmates in the Ellis County Jail.  All that was done by soon-to-retire  Ellis Co. Health Administrator Butch Schyler.

“There will be lots fewer since the new medical company took over last Thursday,” Schyler told county commissioners Monday night. “They were going to make some rapid changes.”

Advanced Correctional Healthcare is the new medical care contractor for the jail after the commission approved an annual contract in May for $99,968.14. “They needed 90 days to set up and Butch filled that gap,” said County Administrator Phillip Smith-Hanes.

Schyler said he talked to an Ellis County jailer Monday who told him the company has “drastically cut down on the medications the inmates were taking.”

“Of course, they did anticipate inmates not being happy with that…they said it would take about eight weeks to get through this whole curve before everyone settles down. When they’re providing their own pharmacy, they’re gonna watch what meds and how much they’re giving to people,” Schyler explained, “and they started right away with that.”

Advanced Correctional Health Care, based in Peoria, Illinois, provides medical services for 268 counties in 17 states, including 24 counties in Kansas.

Schyler will retire at the end of the calendar year. Ellis County Emergency Medical Services Director Kerry McCue will assume a combined role directing both departments.