New medical programs unit opens at the county jail
–On Thursday, the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office unveiled the new Medical Programs Unit (MPU) at the San Luis Obispo County Jail.
The Medical Programs Unit began construction shortly after moving into the new Kansas Jail, starting with the demolition of the old Women’s Jail. In its place, a new 8000 square foot facility completed construction and will provide space to better serve the jail population’s medical, dental, and mental health needs, as well as other support programs.
The programs area of the new facility consists of three offices and three classrooms, with inmate restrooms and one staff bathroom. There is a net gain of five classrooms for the entire project. Each classroom can be configured in multiple ways to accommodate various uses, including hosting classes, meetings, or for assemblies. This is accomplished with the use of folding tables, stackable chairs, whiteboards, wall mounted TVs, and computer connections.
The medical space consists of an inmate waiting area, two exam rooms, a dental suite, and mental health consultation rooms. The staff area consists of additional office space, a conference room, pharmacy, break room, and medical storage rooms. The two exam rooms will increase the number of patient examinations, while the dental suite allows inmates to be seen within the security of the jail instead of off-site. The increased size and security of the waiting area allows for a wider classification of inmates to access medical staff at the same time.