By Alabama Public Radio
Montgomery, AL – The new health care director for Alabama's prison system is trying to make sure that recent lawsuit settlements actually bring mandated improvements in the medical care of inmates. Director Ruth Naglich hopes that those settlements will also bring changes to the prison system's financial condition and will prevent future lawsuits. Naglich says the state's prison system is dealing with a population that's double its capacity and dealing with a lack of funding. Naglich was hired in October after the Department of Corrections settled three inmate lawsuits that dealt with health care. Her job is to oversee the department's contracts with its health care provider and ensure that court-ordered improvements in doctor visits, medication and other medical issues are met.