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Nov. 30--While a new pregnancy screening program for state inmates is being called successful, pregnant county inmates have posed a greater problem at the Daviess County Detention Center.
The Kentucky Department of Corrections said Tuesday that the pregnancy tests given to every female state inmate within child-bearing age is having a significant and positive impact.
With the new program, if the state inmate's test is positive, the inmate is transferred to the Kentucky Correctional Institution for Women to receive proper prenatal care by a health practitioner.
Unfortunately, that does not hold true for county inmates, Jailer David Osborne said. All four women currently pregnant at the jail are county inmates.
Osborne said that of the 70 state inmates who have taken the pregnancy tests since the program began about three months ago, there has not been one transferred for care.
Since the jail is responsible for the health care of county inmates, Osborne said the recent September closing of prenatal-specific services at the Green River District Health Department created a huge problem for the jail.
At first, Osborne said the jail was prepared to transport the then-six pregnant inmates to Louisville before learning of a similar prenatal program in Madisonville. But he said officials in Madisonville called to cancel the appointments and declined services.
With so many of the local obstetricians saturated with patients, Osborne said it was a "blessing" when Dr. Christine Briones accepted the pregnant county inmates.
"We will have to pay, but that's not what is important," Osborne said. "These babies haven't done anything wrong."
Since the state program began, the department said nearly 25 state inmates have been transferred to the prison usually within 14 days of the test results.
"I believe it is in the best interest of the unborn child, the mother and the commonwealth to initiate prenatal care to our inmates at the earliest point in their pregnancy," said Dr. Scott Haas, medical director for the Department of Corrections. "Providing prompt, continuous monitoring and care to our pregnant inmate population decreases complications in high-risk pregnancies and provides the greatest opportunity for a successful, healthy delivery."
Osborne said the detention center is considering issuing standard tests to county inmates as well but is first looking into cost. He said workers have not discovered a county inmate to be pregnant who had not already made them aware of their situation.
"Health costs are a major concern for us right now," he said.
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Copyright (c) 2006, Messenger-Inquirer, Owensboro, Ky.
Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Business News.
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