Free insurance for released inmates
Jeremy M. Lazarus | 9/8/2022, 6 p.m.
Inmates being released from the Richmond City Justice Center will leave with free health insurance, Sheriff Antionette V. Irving announced Wednesday.
Sheriff Irving stated the city’s jail has partnered with Parks Insurance Agency on the program to provide the coverage through the Blue Essentials program of Blue Cross Blue Shield.
The insurance is dubbed GIFT, which stands for Giving Insurance Freely for Transition, she continued.
“The program has been established to provide our returning citizens, as well as people in the community, the benefit of premium health care,” Sheriff Irving continued, adding that she regards health care as “fundamental human right.”
She stated the insurance plan offers free or low-cost benefits “to those who need it most.”
She did not include any examples of what the plan offers in the announcement.
However, the program fits with initiatives the sheriff has been undertaking, including having the justice center serve as a monthly food distribution point.
