Multnomah County Corrections Health has earned accreditation from the National Commission on Correctional Health Care (NCCHC) by demonstrating compliance with NCCHC’s nationally recognized standards of care for correctional health services in jails. The Corrections Health Division received the maximum score possible, earning a 100% rating. Accreditation recognizes Multnomah County’s commitment to providing quality health services for the incarcerated population.
To attain NCCHC’s voluntary accreditation, Corrections Health underwent a rigorous professional assessment in November 2024. During the assessment, a team of experts that included nurses and a physician experienced in correctional healthcare surveyed each facility for compliance with jail-specific standards in areas such as patient care and treatment, health promotion, safety and disease prevention, governance and administration, personnel and training, special needs and services, and medical-legal issues.
"We have a constitutional obligation to provide healthcare to those incarcerated in our jail, and we are committed to doing so with innovation, excellence and efficiency,” said Corrections Health Director Michael Crandell. “I commend our healthcare staff, custody staff and leadership for their hard work and dedication on behalf of our patients.”
“Accreditation is more than just an award — it represents a commitment to high standards and continuous improvement,” said Multnomah County Sheriff Nicole Morrisey O’Donnell. “This accomplishment reflects the hard work of our healthcare professionals and their dedication to providing service to those incarcerated in Multnomah County.”
Corrections Health is legally mandated to ensure access to healthcare and safeguard the health of those detained at the Multnomah County Detention Center, Multnomah County Inverness Jail and the Donald E. Long Juvenile Detention Center. Corrections Health provides medical, dental, behavioral health and transition services to more than 30,000 people in custody annually.
Planning for accreditation began in fiscal year 2023, when the division made the strategic investments to form a Quality Team specifically assigned to Corrections Health. Based on the team’s work, Corrections Health management and staff re-examined and updated dozens of policies including those related to safety, quality, access, patient communications, staffing, management and infection prevention.
Doris Battle, the lead surveyor on Multnomah County’s assessment and the 2024 NCCHC Accreditation Surveyor of the Year, shared positive feedback at the exit briefing on the final day of the onsite surveys. Her last words before departing were, “I wish NCCHC still had the Facility of the Year Award — because I think you all would receive it!”
For 45 years, NCCHC’s highly respected standards have provided guidance to help correctional health professionals and administrators improve the health of their incarcerated populations and the communities to which they return, increase efficiency of health services delivery, strengthen organizational effectiveness, and reduce the risk of adverse legal judgments.
"In achieving NCCHC accreditation, Multnomah County has demonstrated its commitment to quality, standards-based correctional health care,” said Deborah Ross, CCHP, NCCHC’s chief executive officer. “Accreditation is a voluntary process, and we congratulate Multnomah County for successfully undertaking this challenge. The health of incarcerated people is a vitally important component of public health.”
About the National Commission on Correctional Health Care:
The mission of the National Commission on Correctional Health Care, a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization, is to improve the quality of health care in jails, prisons, and juvenile confinement facilities. NCCHC establishes standards for health services in correctional facilities, operates a voluntary accreditation program for institutions that meet those standards, produces, and disseminates resource publications, conducts educational conferences, and offers a certification program for correctional health professionals.
