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Correctional Health Care Provider Launches New Business and Delivery System

Posted on: Monday, 12 February 2007, 12:00 CST

The founders of Southern Health Partners, Inc. (SHP), the leading provider of outsourced correctional health care for small to medium-sized jails, have launched a new company based on a franchise business model. SHP's new sister company, MedGuard Health Services, Inc. (MedGuard), is the first franchise-based business to operate in the correctional health care industry.

MedGuard was developed to work with an industry niche that was not being served. SHP found that while many U.S. counties were benefiting from outsourced inmate health care, many government officials still wanted the familiarity of working with someone ingrained in the local community. MedGuard's franchise model satisfies this desire by giving local health care professionals the opportunity to be the exclusive health care provider for a county jail.

Owning a MedGuard franchise will give health care professionals autonomy and income growth potential, benefits rarely found in their profession. MedGuard executives expect that most franchisees will be nurses with experience in primary care triage settings like emergency rooms, community health agencies, military hospitals or correctional facilities.

MedGuard franchises will be available across the country to serve small to medium-sized jails (25-500 beds). The company has succeeded in keeping the franchise costs at a fraction of the cost of franchises in other industries.

"We have experienced tremendous growth with SHP over the past several years and believe the market is ripe for an alternative approach to outsourced correctional health care. MedGuard was carefully conceived by our executive leadership team, who boast over 100 years of combined correctional health and jail experience," stated Jeff Reasons, CEO and president, MedGuard Health Services and Southern Health Partners. "With hands-on experience as jail nurses, jail administrators and medical/managed care executives, our team has an intimate understanding of this market, its needs and what it takes to succeed."

The local MedGuard franchisee will be supported by the time-tested models developed by SHP. As a part of its contractual agreement, MedGuard will supply the franchisee with complete front and back-end support, including medical malpractice insurance that covers the franchise organization and the medical team.

MedGuard will also provide the potential franchisee with assistance in attaining a contract with a county jail, and no franchise fees would be paid until the contract is awarded. Each franchisee-county contract will be tailored to meet the county's specific needs.

"We are extremely proud of the tremendous business opportunity that we have developed to benefit both county jails and health care professionals," concluded Reasons. "We believe that we have created the right formula to provide the most effective correctional health care model for a wide range of county jails."

For more information about MedGuard visit www.MedGuardHealth.com.

About MedGuard Health Services

MedGuard Health Services, www.MedGuardHealth.com, is a new concept in outsourced correctional health care that empowers providers to be entrepreneurs, allowing jails to work with a local supplier who is backed by an industry expert. Developed from the success of its sister company, Southern Health Partners, Inc., (www.SouthernHealthPartners.com) MedGuard provides customized health care services to small and medium-sized jails throughout the U.S. via a franchise business model.

Source: Business Wire

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