Understanding Medical Co-Pays at Western Tidewater: What Costs Money and What’s Free
Medical care at Western Tidewater Jail comes with co-pays for some services — but not all. Here's what typically costs money, what's free, and how vision care and unpaid balances work.
Routine medical visits at Western Tidewater Jail carry co-pays that vary by provider. A nurse sick call costs $10. Seeing the jail doctor bumps that to $25. Specialist appointments (outpatient doctors) are $35. Dental visits - including general dental services - also run $25.
More serious care costs more. Emergency room visits and ambulance transport each carry a $100 co-pay. In-patient hospitalization is $200 per day.
Eye exams cost $145, which includes the specialist fee.
Several baseline services are free. The admitting physical screening costs nothing. Follow-up sick call visits are also free - helpful when medical staff needs to recheck an issue after the initial appointment.
True medical emergencies - as determined by medical staff - don't carry a co-pay. The initial mental health screening is also free.
Western Tidewater Jail has strict rules around eyeglasses. The jail won't provide or repair glasses unless an eye doctor (in consultation with the jail physician) determines that going without them would seriously affect the inmate's sight. If your loved one wasn't wearing their prescription glasses when booked, a family member or friend can bring them in for Medical Staff approval. The jail generally doesn't accept inmate property at the facility or by mail - but nonmetal glasses and contacts are an exception, provided they come with a current prescription and are brought to the lobby for medical review.
Tip: If you’re bringing prescription glasses or contacts, bring the nonmetal pair and the current prescription to the lobby counter so Medical Staff can review and decide whether the items will be accepted.
Medical co-pays don't disappear at release. Any unpaid balance - including other jail charges - is due when someone leaves. They have 30 days to pay in full; after that, the debt may go to collections. If paying everything within 30 days isn't realistic, visit the Administration Office to set up a repayment plan.
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