Politics & Government
County Raises Pay Rate to Attract More Jailhouse Psychiatrists
The county's Mental Health Department said the rate the county was paying for contract psychiatrists was not competitive enough.
Struggling to fill vacancies for part-time psychiatrists to evaluate and write prescriptions for mentally ill jail inmates, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors voted Tuesday to raise the contract rate to $250 per hour.
About 29 percent of positions for jail psychiatrists are vacant, according to a letter from the Department of Mental Health to the Board of Supervisors. That includes 15 new positions recommended by the Department of Justice, which has concluded that the county doesn’t do enough to prevent jail suicides and treat mentally ill inmates.
As DMH tries to recruit new full-time employees, it relies on temporary contract help to fill the gap. But its rates, set at $200-225 an hour, aren’t competitive enough, according to Robin Kay, the department’s acting director.
Even the Department of Health Services, which offers $238 per hour, is having trouble recruiting the help it needs, Kay said.
The board voted to approve the increase without comment.
A county web page urging mental health professionals to work in the jails offers salaries up to the mid-$200,000s and bonuses of up to $30,000 for qualified psychiatrists. It also notes that employees are allowed to work outside the county for up to 24 hours a week.
— City News Service, photo via Shutterstock
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