Lynnwood discusses new jail medical provider contract
Published 1:50 pm Thursday, October 22, 2026
EVERETT — The city of Lynnwood is preparing to sign a new contract for jail medical services after the current provider said it intends to leave at the end of the year.
Cities are required under state law to pay for necessary medical care for inmates at their jails. Since April, Lynnwood has contracted with Healthcare Delivery Systems for medical services at the city’s municipal jail. But in September, the company notified Lynnwood that it would terminate services unless it “executes a written agreement fully indemnifying Healthcare Delivery and all of its employees and contractors,” said Curt Zatylny, deputy chief of police, at a Wednesday council meeting.
Three other cities in Washington received the same termination notice, Zatylny said.
While Lynnwood discussed providing indemnification to Healthcare Delivery Systems, staff ultimately decided to present the council with a new contract with Virginia-based MEDIKO Correctional Healthcare. The new contract would cost nearly $2 million per year, up about $150,000 from the previous contract. This is down from staff’s initial estimate of an additional $1 million per year, Zatylny said.
Zatylny said that per conversations with leadership at Healthcare Delivery Services, the company had concerns about the lack of damage caps on tort and medical malpractice claims in Washington state. Healthcare Delivery Services did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
In May, the company was named in a lawsuit alleging it failed to treat an inmate’s opioid withdrawal before she died at the Kent City Corrections Facility, court records show.
In February, Alabama-based NaphCare withdrew from four county jails in Washington after being named in more 40 federal lawsuits in the state over 10 years, according to the Seattle Times. Two of the cases led to jury verdicts that totaled more than $50 million.
In the last legislative session earlier this year, some lawmakers proposed a bill that would have addressed rising lawsuit costs at the state level. The bill stalled in the Legislature after facing pushback from advocates for sexual abuse survivors.
Mayor George Hurst said on Tuesday that the 12 Washington cities that have municipal jails have been regularly meeting to discuss state policy, including tort reform.
“What we’re dealing with right now, what other agencies are dealing with, has caused a scramble,” Police Chief Cole Langdon said Wednesday. “… There are strong public safety implications as a result of this. This is a source of friction. It’s a state issue, it’s not just affecting us.”
The council will likely vote on the new contract Monday.
Jenna Peterson: 425-339-3486; jenna.peterson@heraldnet.com; X: @jennarpetersonn.
