Changes at Wyoming Facility Could Reduce Medical Costs

LUSK, Wyo. — The Wyoming Department of Corrections is in a cycle of construction, building one new prison and expanding existing facilities, including the Wyoming Women’s Center. As part of that expansion project, inmates at the center will regain some of the facility space that had been devoted to exercise before it was overtaken by crowded conditions.

At the same time, the dietitian on staff at the Women’s Center has been making changes to bring it into agreement with updated American Heart Association guidelines — guidelines that mean a significant increase in fruits and vegetables at the Women’s Center, among other changes.

The result of the two changes: Potentially healthier inmates and possible health care cost reductions.

“We are trying to go into a heart-healthy diet,” says Women’s Center nutritionist Theresa Lehmitz. “We’re trying to cut down on fat, cut down on salt, and increase fiber and proteins like soy proteins.”

Through various efforts, including relatively small changes ranging from searching for 1 percent milk — which Lehmitz says is hard to find in the five-gallon containers used in the facility’s dispensers — to removing salt shakers from the dining tables, she hopes to bring some measurable improvements to inmate health.

DOC spokesperson Melinda Brazzale indicates that, with expansion set to double the size of the existing Women’s Center, more space for physical activity and a recreational specialist on staff will make fitness a bigger part of inmate health, as well.

The diet and exercise improvements are officially unrelated, but as health costs in every sector are rising rapidly, there is a hope that the changes may have the welcome side effect of helping to curb some of those increases.

Among the many health conditions related to poor nutrition or excess weight, Lehmitz points to diabetes, high blood pressure and high levels of cholesterol as areas of concern. In each case, says Lehmitz, “a reduction in weight of as little as 10 pounds” can make an important difference.

For now, more fruits and vegetables along with other dietary changes mean a 5 percent increase in food costs.

According to officials, the raw cost for food per inmate, per day is $5.37. Medical costs per inmate are expected to reach $10.36 a day in fiscal year 2006.