MediaUpdate

​Alachua County officials are asking residents with automatic timers for their sprinklers and irrigation systems to consider going manual.

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​The international competition will include events for athletes under 18 on Wednesday and under 21 on Thursday, followed Saturday and Sunday by the Panamerican Open Florida 2026, an official qualifier for the LA 2028 Olympic Games.

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​After a difficult year, Alachua County Animal Resources has a new permanent director.

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​The Alachua County Commission voted unanimously Tuesday to find a new HIV and hepatitis C healthcare provider for the Alachua County Jail after homelessness advocates and medical professionals shared concerns over predatory practices during public comment. 

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​At the October 27 meeting, the Alachua County Commission confirmed Meredith McLean as the new Animal Resources & Care Director and asked the Sheriff to end an agreement with a healthcare provider after hearing concerns from people who work with homeless individuals.

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​The development is called Everlee Farmstead Community, and the owners of the property are the Lee family, who have tended the property for around 100 years.

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​​Alachua County commissioners raised concerns about a healthcare company accused of targeting homeless residents during a commission meeting on Tuesday.

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​Today, a coalition of businesses located in the NW 173rd Street/Peggy Road freight corridor asked the Alachua County Commission to improve the roads near the Sysco and Walmart distribution centers.

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​Alachua County is providing its weekly update on pothole repairs and roadway resurfacing throughout the county. Public Works crews continue to use reports submitted through the online Pothole Portal to identify areas needing repairs and prioritize work.

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​A University of Florida associate professor and several community members have alerted the Alachua County Commission to potential misconduct by the county's jail health care provider in its treatment of patients.

With Commissioner Charles "Chuck" Chestnut IV absent from the vote, the commission voted 4-0 for Commissioner Anna Prizzia's motion to ask Sheriff Chad Scott to exercise a 30-day option to get out of the county's contract with Universal Comprehensive Healthcare Services LLC, or UCHS, and to find a new health care provider for testing and treatment of HIV, hepatitis C and other services UCHS is providing at the jail.

Additionally, the motion would send a chair letter to the state attorney, medical board, Office of Insurance Regulation, Department of Health, Florida Agency for Health Care Administration, Inspector General and the Department of Health and Human Services regarding the mounting claims of potential misconduct toward its patients.

​Before the Oct. 27 meeting, Commissioner Mary Alford shared on social media an email she received Oct. 26 from Grant Harrell., a UF associate professor and medical director of the UF Mobile Outreach Clinic, who said the county's jail health care provider had committed a "great disservice to our community and, especially, our most vulnerable residents."

​Harrell wrote that UCHS has some "predatory practices" toward the county's homeless and low-income population while acting like insurance brokers, operating a lab and providing some specific health services that generally do not follow standards of care.

"I have no idea whether they are committing actual fraud and suspect they probably aren't by the letter of the law but are rather just another example of predatory services looking to make a buck off of vulnerable citizens," Harrell wrote.

​Harrell wrote in a follow-up email to the commission that the Health Department administrator was told by department lawyers that he does not have standing to issue a cease and desist letter, so no direct action has been taken for now.

Among the other points Harrell made was that UCHS does not operate locally, but rather out of Greenacres, Florida, while the company is listed in Coral Springs. A nurse practitioner who writes prescriptions remotely for hepatitis C and HIV medications is based in Plantation.

​According to patients, the program seeks out homeless individuals on the street and offers gift cards for being tested for hepatitis C, HIV and other STIs.

Within the jail, Harrell said when UCHS tests patients who are actively being treated for hepatitis C, which should not occur, patients have received false negatives. Therefore, treatment cannot continue for those patients who need to complete treatment while incarcerated.

Despite continuing his efforts, Harrell said he has been unable to access the necessary information to confirm how many patients are actually receiving treatment from UCHS in the jail.

"The main reason our Sheriff's Office contracts with UCHS is that they provide their services for free and have told the sheriff that they are saving them hundreds of thousands of dollars per month in testing and treatment," Harrell said.​

While Harrell said he could not attend the Oct. 27 meeting, several members of the community spoke out during public comment, including Karla Ganley, a UF Medicine Ph.D. student and executive director of the UF Street Medicine Team, which is part of the UF Mobile Outreach Clinic.

​Echoing Harrell's claims, Ganley told the commission of several major concerns, including patients being offered gift cards to enroll in health insurance plans without fully understanding the consequences, while also identifying concerning medication practices.

"In one case, a patient's insurance change disrupted a scheduled surgery, delaying the medically necessary procedure by five months," Ganley said. "In (another) case, a patient living with HIV reported being taken off Biktarvy, the complete antiretroviral treatment medicine, and placed on Descovy alone which is not appropriate treatment for HIV."

​Raising similar concerns, Grace Marketplace Executive Director Mark Bonner told the commission a UCHS van appeared at Grace Marketplace, dropping off prescriptions with Publix gift cards attached to them for Grace staff to distribute, despite UCHS not having a prior relationship or agreement with the organization.

After contacting UCHS's chief clinical officer and requesting information, Bonner said he notified the company that it was not authorized to provide services at Grace Marketplace. The company's response left important questions unanswered, and Bonner said he was told UCHS was from the health department. Bonner said he was informed by Harrell on Sept. 30 to discourage clients from engaging with the company.

Calling the situation problematic and unethical, Prizzia said she had been in conversations with Harrell and several service providers for some weeks. She also said she contacted ACSO about the issues and was told they were new to the agency.

Scott spoke briefly at the meeting and said he wanted to work closely with the commission to find the best solution for the jail and community.

​A UCHS staffer spoke to the commission and said he was deeply saddened to hear the allegations after learning of them this week.

He said UCHS was taking the matter seriously and that he would love to continue the dialogue. He added that UCHS is not a health insurance company but a provider. As patients are enrolled in ACA plans, he said resources are provided to vulnerable patients.

Prizzia then asked him several questions about UCHS.

When asked if UCHS signs up patients for insurance, recommends policies to patients, receives financial benefits from referrals, or is a licensed pharmacy, insurance broker or clinic licensed by AHCA, the staffer responded no.

​When asked if UCHS completes paperwork for insurance policy provisions, makes referrals, and prescribes and fills prescriptions for patients, the staffer responded yes.