Monroe County lawmakers have formed a special committee to investigate the jail's medical provider after a sick inmate was neglected and left to die over nine days in 2023.
A second proposal that sought to limit an impending contract renewal for PrimeCare Medical, however, failed Tuesday night amid political infighting among Democrats.
Tempers flared at the Oct. 13 meeting of the Monroe County Legislature as lawmakers scramble to act on a year-old state directive following Brian Harmon's death.
Harmon, 62, died of sepsis from an untreated urinary obstruction nine days after he was sent to the Monroe County Jail in 2023. Medical staff reported seeing Harmon frequently naked and covered in his own waste as his symptoms escalated. But a scathing state
review found PrimeCare nurses failed to order basic tests and hospital interventions that likely would have saved his life.
State corrections officials first directed Legislature President Yversha Román to conduct a fitness inquiry into PrimeCare Medical in September 2025. She did not share the directive with the full Legislature until August, after the Democrat and Chronicle reported on Harmon's case. The review was never completed.
Meanwhile, Monroe County Sheriff Todd Baxter unilaterally extended PrimeCare's $13.5 million contract in February.
Legislators approve PrimeCare inquiry, but leave contract in sheriff's hands
Several lawmakers decried Román's apparent decision to delay a review this summer. On Tuesday, legislators unanimously approved the creation of a special committee tasked with evaluating the quality of medical and mental health services provided at the jail.
"When serious failures are identified, particularly failures that contribute to the loss of a human life, we have a duty to ask questions, demand answers and determine what needs to change," said Republican Minority Leader Sean McCabe.
The bipartisan committee is to file a report with its findings and recommendations by April 13, 2027.
PrimeCare's current contract, however, expires in January. And the sheriff is again authorized to independently pursue another one-year renewal before the contract returns to the Legislature in 2028.
Baxter has so far declined to answer questions around the decision to stick with PrimeCare Medical after the state's findings.
Monroe County Legislator Rachel Barnhart introduced legislation that would limit the renewal to a six-month contract and require legislative approval. She said it would give the Legislature time to complete and review the fitness inquiry without committing to another full year with PrimeCare.
Some of her colleagues, led by a line of questioning from Román ― a fellow Democrat ― said the proposal was premature and suggested PrimeCare might walk away from the contract altogether as a result, putting inmates at risk.
"I believe the maker of the motion does not have a plan," Román said.
Barnhart was a leading critic of Román's handling of the state report. She accused the legislature president of fear mongering to kill the proposal.
"Do vendors control us like that?" Barnhart said. "Do we exercise no oversight? Maybe we shouldn't even do the committee at all. Why did we vote on this thing if we're going to allow them to have another one-year contract? Maybe they'll kill somebody else in our jail. It's irresponsible for us to allow this to happen without taking control back as a Legislature, asserting our authority and demanding that this review be done and done properly."
The debate devolved into accusations of political posturing among Democrats. Members of the Republican caucus sat quietly as the back-and-forth unfolded over the course of a half hour.
In the end, the resolution was tabled, leaving authority around the contract renewal with the sheriff.
― Kayla Canne covers community safety for the Democrat and Chronicle with a focus on immigration, police accountability, government surveillance and how people are impacted by violence. Follow her on Instagram @bykaylacanne. Get in touch at kcanne@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Jail staff ignored a dying inmate. Lawmakers say it's time to act.
