Walla Walla County commissioners on July 21 authorized staff to publish a request for proposals seeking a provider to deliver medical and behavioral health services at the juvenile justice center (JJC) and to support participation in the Washington Health Care Authority’s 1115 Medicaid transformation demonstration.

The board voted 3-0 to approve the RFP after Juvenile Court and detention staff described the county’s aim to find a single provider that can operate daily medical care in detention, manage medications and perform the administrative billing and case-management work tied to HCA’s Medicaid reentry/billing project.

Why it matters: The county’s current medical contract for JJC expires in December. Officials said combining the medical services procurement with the HCA work could identify a single agency able to provide clinical care and handle Medicaid billing and reentry case management — a configuration county leaders said would be more efficient than separate contractors in a small market.

Details from the meeting
- Scope: The RFP as proposed asks respondents to cover day-to-day nursing and medication management at JJC and, if feasible, to support the health authority’s 1115 reentry and Medicaid billing project so eligible juvenile clients receive reimbursable services during detention and reentry.
- Volume and Medicaid limits: County staff told commissioners that Washington residency matters for the HCA waiver; juveniles from Oregon would not be covered by the HCA billing model. The county currently sees a mix of in-state and out-of-state youth.
- Alternatives if the market does not respond: Juvenile Court Administrator Nori (appears in transcript as Nori) said if no vendor bids to provide both pieces, the county will run a separate RFP for detention medical services and pursue other options for the HCA work, including sharing billing capacity with the jail’s administrative hire.
- Funding and timeline: No new county funds were approved at the meeting. Officials said the RFP is designed to test the market; if responses are inadequate staff will return with alternative proposals.

Action and vote: Commissioner Kimball moved to approve the JJC RFP; Commissioner Clayton seconded. The motion carried, 3-0 (Fulmer, Kimball, Clayton voting yes).

Speakers quoted in this account appear in the official meeting record.