New York City has ended its contract with Corizon Health Inc. after the Department of Investigation found out that the company is using doctors and health workers who committed felonies and have other criminal records.  

The Boston Globe reported that the city will no longer finish its contract with Corizon Health Inc., which was set to expire at the end of the year. The company was hired to deliver health care services to inmates suffering from mental health illness. In its place, the public hospital system of the city, Health and Hospitals Corporation, will take charge of providing health care services to the inmates of city jails including that in the Rikers Island jail complex.   

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Mayor Bill de Blasio stated that they are responsible for providing quality health services to all individuals in the city including those who are in jail.

The announcement was made after Mark Peters, Commissioner of the Department of Investigation, revealed the findings of their investigation. The company had a contract with New York City since 2001. It is considered the largest for-profit correctional health provider in the country.

According to the New York Times, the city tried several times to find a replacement for Corizon but found it difficult to do so because officials had difficulty inviting other companies to submit a bid. In fact, even the Health and Hospitals Corporation that also oversees public hospitals throughout the city is reluctant to assume responsibility for the medical and health care needs of Rikers. The corporation is facing a deficit amounting to $753 million in 2016.   

Both Corizon and Rikers had been scrutinized after reports of deaths of 15 mentally ill inmates were revealed by the Associated Press. Reports showed that they died due to poor care and lack of immediate attention.

The Observer reported that Corizon said  the Correction Department was mostly to be blamed. According to their statement, their employees helped improve Rikers by rolling out clinical units for their inmates with mental health issues and coming up with a new records system.

Corizon mentioned that they deal with over 800,000 patients every year and that they regret every negative incident, including deaths of their patients. Likewise, they respect whatever the mayor's decision is as well as his efforts at improving the services in Rikers. 

TagsNew York City Corizon, Corizon Rikers Island, Rikers Island Corizon, NYC Corizon, NYC Rikers Island