Laurels & lances: Social work, medical bills

Laurel: To a smart thought. The problems of police departments have been an ongoing topic of conversation in the state and across the country — especially in the wake of the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis in 2020.

While much of the problem-solving has been lost in the fight over inflammatory language like “defund the police,” ideas have been put forth that make sense for law enforcement officers and communities. One of those is the fact that officers are called into situations that could be better handled by other public servants.

A cop doesn’t want to be dispatched to a heart attack that requires an EMT. Sending an officer to a call that requires a human services response also makes no sense. Some area police departments are acknowledging this by adding social workers.

O’Hara is considering this as part of budget conversations. Sharpsburg is bringing on a social worker intern in August. Hampton says a similar program has been a boon for its community.

“It’s in support of the police. It’s to help the police provide additional services to individuals who may need them. The police do a great job, but there’s only so much time they can (spend) to help get folks services they may need,” said O’Hara manager Julie Jakubec.

Lance: To spiraling costs. Yes, the price of everything is going up, but that doesn’t mean we have to be happy about it, especially when it means being locked into a five-year contract with an escalating bottom line.

The Westmoreland County commissioners approved a deal this week with PrimeCare Medical Inc. of Harrisburg that will replace the previous contract with Wexford Health Sources for medical care at the county jail. Instead of $10.5 million, the county will pay just short of double — $20.9 million. The deal starts at $3.9 million per year, ending at $4.4 million in 2027.

On the plus side, the deal comes with additional mental health treatment as well as a suboxone or methadone treatment program for inmates with heroin addiction. And it isn’t the commissioners’ fault that costs for everything from food to gas to medication are out of control.

But doubling the cost of a service that has to be provided is still a hard pill to swallow.