LOUISVILLE, Ky. — An overview of an investigation into the Louisville jail shows since the fall of 2021, 13 people in LMDC custody have died by either suicide, overdose or natural causes.
Mayor Craig Greenberg, who took office in January, announced three changes for the department Thursday.
Instead of a nurse referring someone to a mental health professional during their initial screening at the jail, each person will now be screened by a mental health professional and one will be available 24/7, according to the city.
"We can only help people when we know what kind of help they really need, so this is a simple but critical change that can produce better health and safety outcomes for our entire population and staff," said Greenberg.
A new daily online dashboard now shows who is in custody, broken down by gender, race, number of days in jail and charges.
"We’re taking this step because rebuilding trust with the community is a top priority for Metro Corrections and all of Metro Government," said Greenberg. "One of the ways we want to do that is allowing the public unfettered access to information about our corrections department and how it operates."
The city will also be submitting a request for proposals for health care services with additional focus on mental health and substance use disorders, Greenberg said.
The current contract expires at the end of July.
LMDC Director Jerry Collins said telehealth services, which started last month, have been used more than 50 times since the beginning of March.