Medical and Mental Health

The Wyoming Department of Corrections (WDOC) currently utilizes contractual arrangements with private suppliers of health care services to meet the medical, dental, vision, and mental health treatment needs of Wyoming inmates at all four facilities (Wyoming State Penitentiary, Wyoming Honor Farm, Wyoming Women's Center, and Wyoming Honor Conservation Camp/Wyoming Boot Camp).

By contracting for these services, the department is able to ensure inmates have access to timely, medically necessary, cost-effective healthcare, while being accountable stewards of the state's general fund dollars.

Medical, dental, vision, and mental health care are provided according to constitutional, community, and nationally recognized standards. All four sites are fully National Commission on Correctional Health Care (NCCHC) accredited.

It is the goal of the health care program to maintain inmates at their optimal level of health, thereby reducing the strain on public health programs at or after the time of release from incarceration. By returning to the communities in optimal health, offenders may then become active, pro-social, fully participatory, employable members of their communities.

Discharge planning with inmates related to health care needs after release is included in the WDOC case management program, which includes coordination with the medical and mental health team at each facility.

Dual Diagnosis Treatment Services

The Department offers specific treatment for inmates who have problems with both mental health and substance abuse. Inmates who possess both of these problems are characterized as having a dual diagnosis or co-occurring disorder. To fully recover, offenders need treatment for both problems. Dual diagnosis treatment services are provided by the contract mental health provider staff as part of our contracted mental health and substance abuse services. The need for dual diagnosis treatment services will have been identified via the substance abuse evaluation required as part of the PSI or at intake by mental health and/or substance abuse treatment staff as part of the normal intake process. Services include assessment, case planning, and treatment programming that provide therapy for both the mental health and substance abuse treatment needs of the offender in an integrated manner.