Mercer County Correction Center (MCCC) has again earned accreditation from the National Commission on Correctional Health Care by demonstrating compliance with NCCHC’s Standards for Health Services in Jails.
Mercer County Executive Brian Hughes announced the accreditation on April 25.
Accreditation recognizes the Correction Center’s dedication to compliance with the most respected standards in correctional health care, according to a press release.
The Correction Center underwent a rigorous on-site survey in October 2021 and received its results April 21.
An experienced physician and other experts in correctional health care surveyed the facility for compliance with standards on continuous quality improvement, safety, infection control, chronic care, personnel and training, medical and mental health care, health records, and legal issues.
MCCC was first accredited in 2017 and has maintained its commitment to meeting the requirements described in NCCHC’s standards.
Mercer County Correction Center is a county-operated jail with capacity for approximately 900 people. The original facility, built in 1892 as a work camp for incarcerated people, was built up gradually over the century, with the most recent additions taking place in 1995.
“Mercer County Correction Center, despite its age, operates at a level that meets the standards of the National Commission, and I thank Warden Charles Ellis, and his supervisors, officers and health care staff for their hard work and knowledge of health care delivery in a secure environment,” Hughes said in the statement.
NCCHC has surveyed and accredited jails, prisons and juvenile detention and confinement facilities for 40 years.
The NCCHC standards used in accreditation are developed with input from the nation’s experts in correctional health care, according to the press release.
“In achieving NCCHC accreditation, Mercer County Correction Center has demonstrated its commitment to meeting constitutional requirements for health care delivery for incarcerated individuals,” said National Commission CEO Deborah Ross. “Accreditation is a voluntary process and we commend Mercer for successfully undertaking this challenge to provide quality health care and instill confidence in the community it serves.”
