A Special Forces Medic’s New Mission in Corrections
Dr. John Lay
Centurion
“The beauty of correctional medicine is we are able to make drastic improvements in our patients’ health.”
After spending 29 years of my career in the military as an Army Special Forces Medic, Family Medicine Physician and Flight Surgeon, I was looking for a new challenge. That search led me to join Centurion as the Regional Medical Director for the Florida Panhandle, before taking over the statewide position in 2018.
I quickly realized the most rewarding difference in this transition was the patient population. I had spent the bulk of my career caring for healthy soldiers who had access to medical coverage, but in corrections, we care for a unique, underserved population with very limited prior access to healthcare. The beauty of correctional medicine is we are able to make drastic improvements in our patients’ health. Through regularly scheduled appointments, we have the opportunity to follow patients for years, sometimes decades, to comprehensively manage their care, witnessing firsthand how much healthier they become over time.
My core philosophy is simple – we are treating patients, not inmates. Our patients often enter our care with undiagnosed and untreated ailments. The correctional setting allows us to intervene, address chronic conditions appropriately, and mitigate the risk of acute issues this population would face without care. Over the last decade, our industry has achieved unbelievable clinical milestones, such as treating Hepatitis C with a cure rate of over 95%.
Our care for patients does not stop as they transition back into society. We provide the education and resources required to help them learn to manage their conditions on their own, ensuring they ultimately re-enter prepared, informed, and as their healthiest selves.