Spokane County settles with jail contractor over reimbursement related to wrongful death ruling

Spokane County will receive more than $731,000 as part of a settlement with the contractor that formerly provided medical services within county detention facilities.

The county lawsuit against NaphCare is related to an award of $1 million for the wrongful death of Cindy Lou Hill, who died in 2018 in the Spokane County Jail. Hill’s family successfully argued her death could have been prevented if she received proper medical care at the jail.

In the 2022 judgment, NaphCare was found 90% at fault and the county 10% at fault. Despite being ordered to pay a smaller percentage of the damages, the county paid for both sued parties with funds from the Washington Counties Risk Pool. The move avoided interest fees while NaphCare pursued an appeal.

When this appeal failed, NaphCare did not reimburse the county for its portion of the damages, and the county filed suit. As part of a settlement approved by County Commissioners Tuesday, NaphCare agreed to pay the county $731,207.

Everhealth, a subsidiary of NaphCare, has provided medical, dental and pharmaceutical care in the Spokane County Jail since 2017.

Despite the county approving another three-year contract in January, NaphCare has since pulled out of the contract – citing the “unreasonable exposure to litigation” in Washington.

The county is looking for a replacement contractor and is currently negotiating with Mediko Correctional Healthcare. The East Coast-based company has recently expanded to Washington state, where it currently holds contracts in King and Cowlitz counties.