In a move that directly affects the health and safety of Arkansas’s incarcerated population, a group of ten inmates reached a settlement with Wellpath, the private health‑care contractor that serves the state prison system. The agreement, approved by U.S. District Judge Kristine Baker on Monday, obligates Wellpath to continue offering COVID‑19 vaccines, testing and a sufficient supply of antiviral medications for at least one year.
Key provisions of the settlement
Under the terms, Wellpath must:
- Provide the COVID‑19 vaccine to any newly incarcerated person who arrives unvaccinated.
- Maintain a “sufficient supply” of FDA‑approved antiviral treatments for the duration of the agreement.
- Keep updated lists of inmates who meet the CDC’s high‑risk criteria – those over 65 or with chronic health conditions – and prioritize them for vaccination and treatment.
- Conduct in‑person counseling about the vaccines during annual physicals for high‑risk inmates and anyone who requests a physical.
- File quarterly compliance reports to the inmates’ attorneys from the ACLU of Arkansas and the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund.
There is no monetary compensation attached to the settlement; the focus is solely on continued medical services.
Background and impact on Arkansas prisons
COVID‑19 spread rapidly through Arkansas correctional facilities in 2020. At the Cummins Unit in Lincoln County, 963 inmates tested positive and ten died, most of them over age 60. A separate outbreak at the Randall L. Williams Unit in Pine Bluff saw 286 infections and the death of 73‑year‑old inmate Jimmy White.
By 2021, the state began vaccinating staff and healthcare workers, but the virus had already infected more than 10,000 inmates and staff, claiming 50 inmate lives and two staff fatalities. The settlement addresses lingering concerns about access to vaccines and treatments for those still at risk.
Facilities covered
The agreement applies to eleven prisons across the state, including the Central Arkansas Community Correction Center in Little Rock, the Cummins Unit, the East Arkansas Regional Unit and Max Unit in Brickeys, the Grimes Unit in Newport, the Tucker Unit and Tucker Max Unit in Jefferson County, the Ouachita River Correctional Unit in Malvern, the Randall L. Williams Correctional Facility in Pine Bluff, and the Varner and Varner Supermax units south of Pine Bluff.
Previous related actions
This is the second COVID‑19‑related settlement involving Arkansas’s prison system. In 2025, the state and a coalition that included the ACLU of Arkansas agreed to provide masks to all incarcerated individuals for a year and to distribute educational material about vaccine safety and booster shots.
What it means for families and communities
Families of inmates can take some reassurance that their loved ones will have continued access to life‑saving medical care. The settlement also underscores the importance of private‑sector partners like Wellpath adhering to public‑health standards, a principle that aligns with broader community concerns about safety, personal liberty and responsible stewardship of resources.
While the agreement does not include a financial payout, it represents a concrete step toward protecting a vulnerable population and may serve as a model for other states grappling with pandemic‑related health care in correctional settings.
Original reporting: Texarkana Gazette — read the source article.
