By SDCN Staff
San Diego, CA–The San Diego County Sheriff’s Office is advancing its efforts to secure accreditation from the National Commission on Correctional Health Care, moving closer to meeting standards across all seven county detention facilities.
The Correctional Health Care accreditation is a nationally recognized process that evaluates correctional healthcare systems against established professional standards designed to improve patient care, safety, quality assurance, and accountability within detention environments.
As part of the Sheriff’s Office ongoing commitment to strengthening healthcare delivery and operational oversight within the jail system, they have implemented several important reforms and organizational enhancements recommended through the recent commission resources assessment process.
One of the most significant recent developments includes the hiring of a fourth Director of Nursing. Under the updated organizational structure, a director will be assigned to the Sheriff Office’s major detention facilities and will also have responsibility for overseeing designated satellite facilities within the jail system.
In addition, one Director of Nursing will be assigned to the Medical Services Division to provide overall coordination, systemwide oversight, and operational support across the detention healthcare system.
This enhanced structure was identified in the recent National Commission on Correctional Health Care Resources report as a key recommendation to strengthen medical oversight, improve continuity of care, and enhance operational accountability throughout the Sheriff’s detention healthcare system.
In addition, the Sheriff’s Office is expanding its Medication Assisted Treatment program at the Las Colinas Detention and Reentry Facility. This expansion will ensure incarcerated females have the same level of access to evidence-based MAT services currently available within the male detention facilities.
The MAT program is an important component of the Sheriff Office’s comprehensive approach to addressing substance use disorders, supporting recovery, improving in-custody health outcomes, and reducing the risk of overdose both during incarceration and following release.
“These efforts reflect our continued commitment to improving healthcare delivery, increasing professional oversight, and ensuring those in our custody receive constitutionally sound and evidence-based care. Achieving NCCHC accreditation across all seven detention facilities represents an important milestone in our broader mission to provide safe, humane, and professionally managed detention operations,” the Sheriff’s Office stated in a news release.
The Sheriff’s Office said it will continue implementing systemwide improvements based on national best practices while working with healthcare professionals, custody staff and community stakeholders to strengthen health and safety throughout the detention system. Officials said the agency plans to formally apply for National Commission on Correctional Health Care medical accreditation in early 2027.
