Medical & Mental Health in Missouri (Missouri DOC)

Key info

Medical, dental, and mental-health care is delivered by a contracted health-services vendor working with the Missouri DOC. As of this writing the contractor is Centurion (Centurion Health), which took over in 2022, replacing the prior contractor, Corizon. The contract has been renegotiated and remains the subject of ongoing public scrutiny, and the contractor and terms can change, so confirm the current provider with the Missouri DOC.

Routine care starts with a health-services request, which is triaged by health staff.

A co-pay may apply to some inmate-initiated (self-referral) health-care visits. The exact amount is not confirmed here; confirm the current co-pay with the Missouri DOC or the facility.

The Missouri DOC uses a multi-step offender grievance process — an informal resolution request, then a formal grievance, then a grievance appeal — for a person who believes a medical need was not addressed.

These procedures apply across every Missouri state prison.

Who provides care

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

These arrangements apply across all Missouri state prisons.

Requesting care and the services provided

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

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

The co-pay

The Missouri DOC may charge a co-pay for some inmate-initiated (self-referral) health-care visits.

The grievance process

The Missouri DOC uses a multi-step offender grievance process:

an informal resolution request first
then a formal grievance
then a grievance appeal

A person who believes a medical need was not addressed can use that process. The specific steps and deadlines are set by Missouri DOC policy; confirm the current procedure with the facility or the Missouri DOC.

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 Missouri DOC prisons is delivered through a contracted health-services vendor (Centurion as of this writing, which took over in 2022 from Corizon), and the contractor and terms can change — confirm the current provider with the Missouri DOC. Routine care begins with a health-services request triaged by health staff; a co-pay may apply to inmate-initiated visits, and the exact amount is not confirmed here. The grievance process runs from an informal resolution request to a formal grievance to a grievance appeal, with steps and deadlines set by Missouri DOC policy. In an emergency, the prison arranges care and any hospital transport; a family member cannot authorize treatment. These procedures apply at every Missouri state prison. Confirm the current provider, co-pay amount, 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.