MetroHealth, Cuyahoga County coming to terms on jail medical services

Discussions about MetroHealth Medical Center taking over medical services at the Cuyahoga County Jail have taken a turn, with both sides near an agreement calling for the hospital to provide temporary staff and other support while the county moves to hire its own doctors. For much of the year, officials of the new county government have sought to have the county-owned hospital system handle medical care at the high-rise jail, which houses more than 2,000 inmates. MetroHealth argued that it does not have expertise in correctional medicine. But executives had told The Plain Dealer in June they expected to have an agreement by July to take over medical services.