Medical & Mental Health in Tennessee (TDOC)

Key info

Medical, dental, and mental-health care is delivered by a contracted health-services vendor working with TDOC. As of this writing the contractor is Centurion of Tennessee. The contract has been re-bid and disputed in recent years and the contractor can change, so confirm the current provider with TDOC Health Services.

The Lois M. DeBerry Special Needs Facility in Nashville is the system’s statewide medical and mental-health center. People with significant medical or mental-health needs may be transferred there.

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

A small co-pay applies to self-referred (inmate-initiated) sick-call visits — reported at $3.00 — while care TDOC initiates is provided at no charge. Confirm the current amount, as published figures change.

TDOC has a standard inmate grievance procedure for a person who believes a medical need was not addressed. The specific steps and deadlines are set by TDOC policy.

These procedures apply across every Tennessee state prison, including the four operated by CoreCivic.

Who provides care

Medical, dental, and mental-health care inside TDOC prisons is delivered through a contracted health-services vendor working with the department. As of this writing the contractor is Centurion of Tennessee.

These arrangements apply across all Tennessee state prisons, including the four facilities operated by CoreCivic under contract with TDOC.

The statewide medical and mental-health center

The Lois M. DeBerry Special Needs Facility in Nashville is the TDOC system’s statewide medical and mental-health center. It provides:

infirmary and inpatient care
pharmacy services
a dialysis clinic
a secure medical and mental-health unit

People with significant medical or mental-health needs may be transferred to DeBerry for care that other facilities cannot provide on-site.

Requesting care and the services provided

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

sick call
chronic-care clinics
emergency care
medication management
inpatient hospitalization
substance-use treatment
behavioral-health and mental-health care

The co-pay

Under TDOC’s inmate rules and policy, a small co-pay applies to inmate-initiated (self-referral) sick-call visits. Care that TDOC initiates — follow-ups, chronic-care visits, and emergencies — is provided at no charge.

The grievance process

TDOC has a standard inmate grievance procedure. A person who believes a medical need was not addressed can file a grievance through that process.

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

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 TDOC prisons is delivered through a contracted health-services vendor (Centurion of Tennessee as of this writing), which can change — confirm the current provider with TDOC Health Services. The Lois M. DeBerry Special Needs Facility in Nashville is the statewide medical and mental-health center. Routine care begins with a sick-call request triaged by health staff; a co-pay (reported at $3.00) applies to inmate-initiated visits, while TDOC-initiated care is at no charge. The grievance procedure and its steps and deadlines are set by TDOC policy. In an emergency, the prison arranges care and any hospital transport; a family member cannot authorize treatment. These procedures apply at every Tennessee state prison, including the four operated by CoreCivic. 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.