HOLLIDAYSBURG — A Florida-based company is expected to take over inmate medical care at the Blair County Prison as of Aug. 1, after the county’s longtime contract with PrimeCare Medical, a Harrisburg-based company, expires as of July 31.

Commissioners voted Thursday to award a three-year contract to Armor Health, with a first-year price of $3.73 million, a second-year price of $3.89 million and a third-year price of $4.06 million.

While PrimeCare Medical submitted lower bids for two options, with first-year prices of $2.63 million or $2.81 million, commissioners said Thursday that they didn’t find those bids to be comparable to ones that Armor and two additional bidders, Mediko Correctional Health and CFG Health, submitted in response to the county’s advertisement.

“I don’t think (PrimeCare’s) numbers are reflective of the total cost,” commissioners Chairman Dave Kessling said during a meeting where he joined fellow commissioners Amy Webster and Laura Burke in voting to contract with Armor.

“They’re not apples to apples,” Burke said in reference to PrimeCare’s bids and the bids submitted by Armor, Mediko and CFG.

PrimeCare’s bids didn’t include catastrophic costs, which Burke acknowledged will vary depending on inmate care. But if catastrophic costs add up to $600,000, Burke said PrimeCare’s $2.81 million bid is more like $3.4 million.

Kessling also mentioned a desire to see Armor’s medical staff handle more tasks at the prison and cut back on the amount of inmate transports for medical care, a task requiring two corrections officers.

Kessling said Warden Matthew Hale has reviewed transport costs and talked with PrimeCare personnel about changes that could capture some savings for the county.

But that hasn’t led to any savings, and on Tuesday, Hale told the prison board that he would recommend awarding the contract to Armor. The warden also questioned PrimeCare’s low bids and described Armor’s bid as more realistic, with the possibility of the county being able to save money on related costs.

The commissioners’ decision to contract with Armor means that for the first time since 2005, the county prison will have a new inmate medical care provider. Before 2005, the county was employing healthcare personnel to work at the prison and the cost had escalated to $817,000. Hiring PrimeCare allowed that cost to be cut to $449,000 for the first year.

In 2023, when commissioners renewed their contract with PrimeCare, then-Chairman Bruce Erb described the company’s 6% increase — to a first-year price of $2.19 million — as “sticker shock.” That was after a six-month unsuccessful search for other inmate healthcare providers.

Armor currently has contracts with two Pennsylvania counties — Erie and Lackawanna — to provide inmate medical care at their prisons. The company’s personnel began staffing the Lackawanna County Prison in January 2025. While the company began medical services in the Erie County Prison in December 2023, it expanded to include mental health and drug and alcohol treatment in September 2025.

Hale, during the prison board meeting on Tuesday, said he had spoken to others familiar with Armor’s inmate healthcare services.

“They come highly recommended,” Hale said.

Commissioners acknowledged that their decision to contract with a new medical care provider could mean staffing changes at the prison, depending on PrimeCare’s decisions regarding its personnel and Armor’s decision on the personnel it will assign to the prison.

“There will be a transition period,” Burke said.

Mirror Staff Writer Kay Stephens is at 814-946-7456.