Department of Corrections staff and the DOC health contractor told the Corrections & Institutions committee on Jan. 17 that the department is facing growing demand for infirmary-level care and that existing infirmary capacity and facility design limit treatment options.

A Wellpath clinical leader said Vermont’s in-custody population is “getting sicker and more complex” and that infirmaries are already full in places. Committee members were told that the southern facility has an infirmary of roughly eight or nine beds and that the Newport (northern) facility has three infirmary beds serving roughly 400 people at that site; staff said the small northern infirmary’s layout makes long stays isolating for patients.

Why it matters: Officials said lack of appropriate infirmary and sheltered-housing space can force staff to find ad hoc solutions—moving patients, using nonmedical housing or relying on off-site hospitals—and could increase risks for people who need close medical monitoring.

Key points

- Bed counts and use: Presenters said Southern’s infirmary is larger and configured with individual bays; Northern/Newport has three beds behind glass that can feel isolating. DOC staff said infirmary beds are sometimes used for people who would otherwise need long-term skilled nursing care but for whom no community placement exists.
- Aging and acuity: Committee testimony described a rapid increase in the correctional geriatric population; DOC staff said the cohort defined as geriatric in corrections (often age 55 and older in correctional health practice) has grown substantially over the last two decades. DOC staff said they would provide more detailed age-distribution data to the committee in coming weeks.
- Staffing and space constraints: Clinical leaders said staffing shortages—particularly for higher-acuity nursing coverage and dental care—compound limits on building more infirmary capacity. They noted that infirmary beds require a higher staffing ratio and different clinical equipment than general-population beds.

Quotations

"One of the things you're really running out of is room in our infirmaries," a Wellpath clinical leader told the committee, adding that three beds at the Newport facility are "behind a piece of glass" and can be isolating for patients.

Operational context and planning

DOC and Wellpath said Springfield (Southern) was designed with a larger infirmary anticipating growth, but that demand has outstripped capacity. Officials described options that include constructing additional clinical space where feasible and using creative sheltered-housing assignments when possible, but said new infirmary beds would require capital investment and higher ongoing operating costs. DOC staff and Wellpath clinical leaders urged the legislature to consider infrastructure and staffing support as part of longer-term planning.

Limitations

Several committee members asked for more precise data (facility-level bed counts, age breakdowns, long-term placements required); DOC agreed to provide additional metrics. Speakers said some figures were approximate in testimony and would be verified.

Next steps

Committee members said they expect DOC to return with more detailed facility-level data, age breakdowns for people defined as geriatric in corrections, and estimates of capital and staffing costs required to expand infirmary capacity.