LOUISVILLE, Ky.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Two YesCare healthcare providers were honored recently at the second annual LMDC Awards Banquet, honoring excellence in service at the Louisville Metro Department of Corrections. The banquet was held September 7 at University of Louisville’s Alumni Hall.
Behavioral Health Director Brittany Elkins was named Mental Health Staffer of the Year, and MAT Nurse Coordinator Stacy Wylie was named Medical Staffer of the Year. The employee-driven, staff-voted awards evening honors individuals for superior service in LMDC facility management, as chosen by their peers and coworkers. Awards were given in 23 categories covering every aspect of safely and effectively managing a correctional facility.
YesCare, the premier provider of correctional healthcare and reentry services to incarcerated individuals, became the official contracted healthcare provider for Louisville Metro Department of Corrections on March 1, 2024. This included instituting a medication-assisted treatment program for opioid and alcohol addiction – the program Wylie helped inaugurate and now oversees.
“Too often, correctional staffers are the unsung heroes,” said LMDC Chief Jerry Collins. “With these annual awards, we’re spotlighting the people who keep our facility clean, safe and running smoothly. YesCare is a vital partner in keeping our residents safe and healthy thanks to hardworking, talented, caring people such as Brittany and Stacy.”
Elkins oversees the licensed mental health clinicians who serve LMDC – psychiatric technicians and behavioral health practitioners who work alongside psychiatrists and psychiatric nurse practitioners to improve mental health outcomes throughout the facility.
“The team onsite makes my job very easy,” Elkins said. “They are incredible humans and clinicians doing the day-in, day-out work with the patients, and I am so grateful to them. And YesCare’s leadership has been wonderful – they’re supportive of family time and work-life balance, and they’re always there if I need anything.”
Wylie, who was honored as Medical Staffer of the Year, oversees the facility’s medication-assisted treatment program for drug and alcohol addiction. MAT augments counseling and behavioral therapy with a drug that helps normalize the patient’s brain chemistry, blocks the euphoric effects of alcohol and opioids, relieves physiological cravings, and normalizes body functions, all without the negative effects of the abused drug. It is the substance-abuse therapy that is most supported by clinical research, and is becoming the gold standard for correctional facilities across the country. Since LMDC’s MAT program launched this spring, 70 LMDC residents are now receiving the treatment.
“I have a good rapport with the officers I work with, which in this field is very important,” Wylie says. “I have a good rapport with my patients, as well. I think people look at me as someone they can come to when they have questions. I know how tough some nurses can be in this field, so I try to be the opposite. I really love the people I work with. This population is kind of a forgotten population, and they need a little bit of empathy sometimes. I try to give them encouragement and hope. I know we can’t reach everybody, but I try to not make things harder on them while they’re here.”
“At YesCare, the health and safety of our patients is the heart of our mission,” said Jeff Sholey, President and CEO of YesCare. “Being able to provide top-quality care depends on talented, compassionate healthcare practitioners like Stacy and Brittany. We are thrilled that their peers in Louisville have recognized them for their diligent, patient-focused work.”
About YesCare
YesCare is an industry leader providing comprehensive healthcare and reentry services to incarcerated individuals. For more than 40 years, the YesCare team has provided expert medical, dental, and behavioral health services to more than 1 million patients at 475 correctional facilities across the country. Its mission is to provide exceptional care, put patients’ health and safety first, and break the cycle of recidivism, while helping improve the communities where they live and work.
