Medical & Mental Health in Arizona (ADCRR)

Key info

Medical, dental, and mental-health care in ADCRR prisons is delivered by a contracted health-services vendor. As of this writing the contractor is NaphCare, which took over in October 2022. The contractor can change, so confirm the current provider with ADCRR.

Arizona’s prison health care is under federal-court monitoring through a long-running class-action case (now Jensen v. Thornell, formerly Parsons v. Ryan). A federal court found the care unconstitutional and continues to oversee improvements through court-appointed monitors.

Routine care starts with a health-needs request (sick call), which is triaged by health staff.

A medical co-pay may apply. The current amount is not confirmed here; confirm whether a co-pay applies and how much with ADCRR.

ADCRR has an inmate grievance process for complaints about care, and prison health care is also subject to the federal-court monitoring described above.

These procedures apply across every Arizona state prison.

Who provides care

Medical, dental, and mental-health care inside ADCRR prisons is delivered through a contracted health-services vendor working with the department. As of this writing the contractor is NaphCare, which took over in October 2022 (replacing the prior vendor, Centurion).

These arrangements apply across all Arizona state prisons.

Federal-court monitoring

Arizona’s prison health care is under federal-court monitoring through a long-running class-action lawsuit, now known as Jensen v. Thornell (formerly Parsons v. Ryan).

A federal court found the care unconstitutional and continues to oversee improvements through court-appointed monitors. This is why prison health care in Arizona is closely watched and subject to ongoing court review.

Requesting care and the services provided

A person accesses routine care by submitting a health-needs request (sick call), which is triaged by health staff. Available services include:

sick call
chronic-care management
emergency care
medication management
mental-health care

The co-pay

A medical co-pay may apply to care in ADCRR prisons.

The grievance process

ADCRR has an inmate grievance process for complaints about care. A person who believes a medical need was not addressed can file a grievance through that process.

In addition, prison health care in Arizona is subject to the federal-court monitoring described above.

The specific steps, levels of review, and deadlines are set by ADCRR policy. Confirm the current procedure with the facility or ADCRR.

Emergencies and family contact

A family member cannot authorize or arrange treatment. In a medical emergency, the prison arranges care and, if needed, transport to a community hospital.

For an urgent concern, families typically contact the facility directly. Confirm the facility’s current process for handling such contacts.

Privacy

Medical information is protected. Staff may be limited in what they can share with family without the incarcerated person’s authorization.

Verify Before Acting

Medical, dental, and mental-health care in ADCRR prisons is delivered through a contracted health-services vendor (NaphCare as of this writing, since October 2022), which can change — confirm the current provider with ADCRR. Arizona’s prison health care is under federal-court monitoring through the Jensen v. Thornell (formerly Parsons v. Ryan) class action, with court-appointed monitors overseeing improvements. Routine care begins with a health-needs request (sick call) triaged by health staff. A co-pay may apply; the current amount is not confirmed here, so confirm whether one applies and how much with ADCRR. The grievance process and its steps and deadlines are set by ADCRR policy, and care is also subject to the court monitoring above. In an emergency, the prison arranges care and any hospital transport; a family member cannot authorize treatment. These procedures apply at every Arizona state prison. Confirm the current provider, whether a co-pay applies, grievance steps, and facility contact process before relying on them.

Sources

This page is compiled from the following publicly available sources. Policies change without notice — confirm current details with the facility before relying on them.