State awards prison contracts to Blagojevich contributor

[lizzi0067]

Some info for us Illinois people......from the State Journal Register 3-9-04

State awards prison contracts to Blagojevich contributor


By JOHN O'CONNOR
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

A prison health-care company that contributed $10,000 to Gov. Rod Blagojevich's campaign has been awarded more than $200 million in new state contracts, expanding the company's reach to nearly all Illinois prisons.

In bidding for the largest of the contracts - $114 million to treat inmates at seven state prisons - Wexford Health Sources submitted the lowest offer but did not have the highest overall score in the Department of Corrections standard evaluation, department spokesman Sergio Molina said Monday.

"The difference was so minor and the cost savings so great, we went with Wexford," Molina said.

He would not release any evaluation documentation or competitors' scores or bids, which state officials say are private. The evaluations are based on a variety of criteria besides cost, including the types of medical services offered, how they will be provided, and the number and quality of doctors and nurses available, Molina said.

He said Pennsylvania-based Wexford's campaign contribution last year to Blagojevich, who has pledged to "end business as usual" in state government, had nothing to do with the prison contracts.

Wexford, which has handled health care for several southern Illinois prisons for years, now treats inmates at all but six Illinois correctional facilities. In addition to the $114 million contract for prisons in Decatur, Dixon, Dwight, Hillsboro, Lincoln and Joliet, Wexford won two other 31/2-year contracts that began March 1.

One contract, worth $82 million, is for health care at prisons in Canton, Chester, East Moline, Galesburg, Harrisburg and Pinckneyville. Another, for $8 million, covers Sheridan, the LaSalle County prison newly reopened as a drug-treatment center. Wexford had both the highest score and the lowest bid in both of those deals, Molina said.

Wexford president Kevin Halloran did not return a call seeking comment.

Health Professionals Ltd. of Peoria lost contracts for six prisons to Wexford. The company’s human resources director, Doug Ivers, was unaware of Wexford’s contribution and saw nothing awry in the bidding process.

“We’re disappointed, but it goes down to a business decision the state has to make,” said Ivers, whose firm retains contracts for five Illinois prisons.

A call to Palatine-based Addus HealthCare, which lost contracts for five prisons, was not returned.

Both Addus HealthCare and Health Professionals Ltd. have contributed to state government officials in the past. Addus in fall 2002 contributed $2,000 each to Blagojevich and his Republican opponent for governor, Jim Ryan. Health Professionals made small contributions in 2002 to a local state senator and House Republicans.

Charles Fasano, a monitor for the prison watchdog John Howard Association, said he was unaware of any independent study of the quality of health care provided in Illinois prisons.

The rationale for giving Wexford the $114 million contract was opposite what the Blagojevich administration used to justify a contract for another large contributor recently. Edelman Public Relations of Chicago, which has contributed $32,600 to Blagojevich, won a $6.2 million contract earlier this year to promote Illinois tourism opportunities. Edelman did not offer the lowest price, but got the nod because it had the best overall score.

[jimsenglishgeek]

Whoever has the contract for Illinois sucks. They prescribe cheap, ineffective medication that doesn't work. J's cellie has a medical problem that he used to be able to control with medication. Since the new company took over, they've prescribed a generic medication that doesn't work at all. Not a bit. And it has even made the situation worse, but they just shrug and say, "well, that's all we're authorized to prescribe." It's terrible. And nobody cares.