The county prison board Tuesday approved a contract with the Ellen O'Brien Gaiser Center to oversee prescription medications received by inmates.

Board members unanimously approved the annual contract, which can be renewed at the end of term. The contract is effective immediately.

Warden Joe DeMore said the Gaiser Center will provide the service on an as-needed basis, and the cost will vary depending on the number of inmates with valid prescriptions for medications, including suboxone.

The prison’s medical provider will provide the prescriptions, which the prison pays for.

If 15 inmates have prescriptions, the cost would be $30,000 per month, DeMore said said.

The cost would include counseling services for inmates.

As a component of the program, Glade Run Lutheran Services will provide case management to connect inmates with support services they need when they are released from incarceration.

Glade Run’s services are being provided through a separate contract approved by the county commissioners.

In an unrelated matter, the board approved the $9,672 purchase of a fire-suppression sprinkler head to replace a unit in the kitchen coolers that is no longer working.