By Malik Washington, Destination Freedom Media Group
Alameda County’ s latest audit of Wellpath LLC at Santa Rita Jail didn’t just expose poor performance — it confirmed total failure. Scoring a devastating ZERO, Wellpath has once again proven that corporate healthcare profiteers cannot be trusted with the lives of incarcerated people. This is not just about numbers on a report. This is about human suffering, neglect, and the loss of lives that should have been protected.
At the September 29, 2025 Joint Health and Public Protection Committee meeting, Dr. Kathleen Clanon’ s report made it clear: Wellpath’ s services remain below par, and the trend is worsening. Advocates from the Stop Deaths and Harm in the Jail Group demanded urgent reforms — starting with the replacement of Wellpath by a not-for-profit provider committed to care, not profit. Key demands include: – Dedicate the majority of contract funds to medical care, not administration or profit. – Exclude bidders with a record of failed or harmful performance. – Tie contracts to incentives for good outcomes and penalties for poor care. – Guarantee transparency, with deadlines, disclosures, and community oversight built into the process.
Lieutenant Daniel Murphy of the Alameda County Sheriff’ s Office, now overseeing contracting, acknowledged the complexity of aligning jail healthcare with broader reforms like Reimagine Adult Justice, CalAIM, Care First Jails Last, and the Babu litigation settlement. But community groups remain skeptical. Words and promises MEAN LITTLE unless they are matched by accountability, independent oversight, and community participation in the process.
Advocates were encouraged to hear that ACSO may hire an outside consultant. They strongly recommended Dr. Radha Sadacharan of UCSF’s Amend Institute, a physician with deep expertise in correctional healthcare contracts. General Services Agency Director Kimberly Gasaway suggested multiple review panels, and advocates insist that these panels must include community members to guarantee fairness and credibility.
Coalitions including Care First Community Coalition, the Interfaith Coalition for Justice in our Jails, the Mental Health Advisory Board, and Families Advocating for the Seriously Mentally Ill all stress one truth: the best health outcomes come not from cages, but from community. Real safety means less incarceration and more access to quality healthcare, substance use treatment, mental health services, and safe housing.
This is a call to action for Alameda County residents, families, and advocates: Do not let this moment pass quietly. Demand that the Board of Supervisors cut ties with Wellpath. Raise your voice at public meetings, share this report, and stand in solidarity with those who have lost loved ones to neglect and abuse inside Santa Rita Jail. The verdict is clear: Wellpath has failed. The people demand healthcare justice, and the people demand it now.
It is time for Alameda County to end the cycle of corporate negligence and finally put people before profit, lives before ledgers, and justice before bureaucracy. The community is watching – and the community will hold its leaders accountable.
Malik Washington is a freelance journalist and Director at Destination: Freedom and Destination Freedom Media Group. For over 13 years, Malik has been a published journalist and news reporter focusing on criminal justice issues, conditions of confinement in jails and prisons, as well as hot-button political issues. You can reach him via email: mwashington@destination-freedom.org or call him at (719) 715-9592.
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