Oklahoma County Jail Transitions To In-House Health Care

The Oklahoma County Jail has officially transitioned to providing its own health care services, effective at midnight Wednesday. This change follows Turn Key Health’s decision to end its services after a 30-day notice.

Mark Opgrande, spokesperson for the Oklahoma County Detention Center, said the transition is going smoothly. The jail has hired approximately 63 medical staff, many of whom previously worked for Turn Key, which will manage all health care needs for more than 1,500 detainees.

“We’re calling it business as usual,” Opgrande said. “We’re still providing the level of care that we’re required to deliver.”

Turn Key Health has been the jail’s medical provider since 2018. The shift to self-management comes after criticism regarding the adequacy of medical care, particularly in light of the number of deaths at the jail. In 2024 alone, at least six detainees have died.

“We’re taking a look at the entire process of how we do medical and how medical has been done in the jail over the years,” Opgrande said. “We’re going deep into that to figure out if there are ways we can improve.”

The jail has also hired a mental health consultant to help provide more specialized care for residents.

“The big positive was being able to keep most of the staff in place, avoiding a massive hiring process,” Opgrande added. “We want to improve on all aspects of the care we are giving residents here.”

Jail officials are still working on a request for proposals (RFP) and hope to issue it as soon as possible to begin receiving bids for a new medical provider. That process could take 30 to 90 days.