Medical & Mental Health in Ohio (ODRC)

Key info

ODRC runs the health care, with central specialty sites. Routine care is provided at each prison; Franklin Medical Center in Columbus is the system’s medical hospital, and the Frazier Health Center inside Pickaway Correctional Institution provides nursing and medical care.

Hospital and specialty care is contracted out to the Ohio State University (OSU) Wexner Medical Center.

There is a $2.00 co-pay for a medical service the incarcerated person initiates, and a $3.00 charge if a person requests emergency care and staff find no actual emergency.

The grievance process has three steps, each with a 14-day filing window, ending with the Chief Inspector at ODRC central office, whose decision is final.

An independent office inspects Ohio prisons — the Correctional Facility Inspection Services (CFIS), in the Ohio Attorney General’s Office.

Health care and the co-pay

Health care inside ODRC is run by the department itself, with central specialty sites for higher-level care. Franklin Medical Center in Columbus is the system’s medical hospital, and the Frazier Health Center, located inside Pickaway Correctional Institution, provides nursing and medical care. For hospital and specialty care beyond what those sites provide, ODRC contracts with the Ohio State University (OSU) Wexner Medical Center.

Under Ohio Administrative Code 5120-5-13, an incarcerated person who initiates a medical service — through a health-service request — pays a $2.00 co-pay. A separate $3.00 charge applies when a person requests emergency care and staff find no actual emergency.

The grievance process

Under Ohio Administrative Code 5120-9-31, ODRC’s inmate grievance procedure has three steps, each with a 14-day filing window:

Informal Complaint. The person files an informal complaint with the supervisor of the staff or area involved.
Notification of Grievance. If unresolved, the person files a notification of grievance with the Inspector of Institutional Services at the prison.
Appeal to the Chief Inspector. The person may appeal to the Chief Inspector at ODRC central office, whose decision is final.

Complaints against the warden or the institutional inspector are handled differently: they go directly to the Chief Inspector rather than starting at step one.

Independent oversight

The Office of Correctional Facility Inspection Services (CFIS), located in the Ohio Attorney General’s Office, inspects Ohio prisons and publishes reports. CFIS replaced the former Correctional Institution Inspection Committee in 2025 under Ohio Revised Code 109.39, so CFIS — not the former committee — is the current inspecting body.

Verify Before Acting

Expect a $2.00 co-pay for an inmate-initiated medical service, and a $3.00 charge for a requested emergency that staff find is not an actual emergency; there is no co-pay for a genuine emergency, indigent people are exempt, and no one is denied necessary care for inability to pay. For grievances, note the three steps under Ohio Administrative Code 5120-9-31 — an Informal Complaint to the supervisor, a Notification of Grievance to the institutional Inspector, then an appeal to the Chief Inspector — each with a 14-day filing window, with complaints against the warden or inspector going directly to the Chief Inspector. The current independent inspecting body is the Correctional Facility Inspection Services (CFIS) in the Ohio Attorney General’s Office. Confirm the current amounts, deadlines, and process with the facility 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.