SOUTH TALLAHASSEE, FL \u2014 Health care providers at the Leon County Detention Center say they went weeks without a paycheck after their employer, YesCare, experienced financial issues and prepared to file for bankruptcy.<\/p>\n
WATCH FULL REPORT BELOW:<\/p>\n
Leon County Jail nurses go weeks unpaid amid provider bankruptcy<\/p>\n
Several nurses employed by YesCare<\/a>, a medical provider that works with incarcerated individuals at the Leon County Jail, say the missed paychecks have put their families in financial jeopardy.<\/p>\n Nurse Tracie Cagle said the situation was unlike anything she had experienced in her career.<\/p>\n “Definitely, I never thought in my however many years I’ve been nursing, like 15 years of nursing, did I ever think this is something that would ever happen to me,” Cagle said.<\/p>\n Cagle said the missed paychecks have made her worry about rent, utilities, and how she will provide for her family.<\/p>\n “Me not getting paid for a month, it means that we’re going to be behind on bills for June, we’re going to miss payments, and we have to pick and choose what’s important to make sure that we pay on time, even though we know it’s going to scrub our credit royally,” Cagle said.<\/p>\n Cagle said she and other nurses felt pressured to continue working by their director of nursing once they learned another company could be taking over operations.<\/p>\n “We had a choice that yes, we can come in, or if we don’t come in, that whatever new company takes over, because we were told that there was going to be a new company, that that would have to be reported to the new company, which, because you’re basically saying they’re not going to keep you if you don’t stay, but I mean, how are you supposed to stay if you’re not getting paid?” Cagle said.<\/p>\n The Leon County Sheriff’s Office said staff immediately went into contingency planning mode after learning about YesCare’s financial issues, working to ensure medical services inside the jail continued without interruption.<\/p>\n Sheriff Walt McNeil said most nurses chose to stay during the transition, helping the facility avoid what he called a “catastrophic failure”.<\/p>\n “Nothing negative happened. Our medical providers went without a hitch. All the medication that needed to be given to our inmates was given, and so our core mission was met,” McNeil said.<\/p>\n Tuesday, LCSO deputies and staff handed out lunch for nurses inside the Leon County Detention Facility as a gesture of appreciation for showing up when they did not have to. <\/p>\n The sheriff’s office said a new medical provider, CFG Health<\/a>, is now in place and is currently paying employees going forward.<\/p>\n YesCare remains responsible for any previously missed payments.<\/p>\n ABC 27’s Lyric Sloan<\/a> reached out to YesCare about the missed payments and possible bankruptcy filing, but as of Wednesday morning, the company had not responded to a request for comment.<\/p>\n Now that the Leon County Detention Center has secured a new health care provider, nurses say the next step is to continue working with YesCare to recover their unpaid wages.<\/p>\n This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.<\/p>\n Want to see more local news? Visit the WTXL ABC 27 Website. <\/a><\/p>\n Stay in touch with us anywhere, anytime.<\/p>\n Like us on Facebook<\/a><\/p>\n Follow us on Instagram <\/a>and X.<\/a><\/p>\n