Jail Health Physician

Jail Health Physician

Public Health – Seattle & King County's Jail Health Services Division is seeking a dedicated and patient-oriented Jail Health Physician to join our Physician team working within our Adult Correctional Facilities.

Our Jail Health Physicians provide direct care to patients detained in the King County adult jail facilities by assessing and managing a wide range of adult medical and gynecologic/pregnancy-related health conditions for a dynamic patient population. You will be a part of Public Health – Seattle & King County's community safety net by engaging with people whose health is frequently unstable at intake and by offering access to treatment for conditions like syphilis, HIV and other infectious diseases, opioid use disorder, or other chronic medical conditions. Many of the people we serve experience homelessness, stigma, mental illness, and/or racial inequity and as a result they often present to jail without continuity of care in the community. Medical providers in Jail Health Services therefore have a unique opportunity to help address community-level problems by offering compassionate, quality care to people who reside in secure detention.

This recruitment will be open until the position is filled, with first consideration given to those applicants who apply before 11:59pm PST on February 16th, 2026. This posting will create a list of qualified candidates that may be considered for selection of additional vacancies of the same position type over the next 6 months.

Jail Health Services (JHS) provides needed health and social services to the incarcerated population located in the King County jails. The primary services we provide include medical, dental, mental health, social and release planning services, treatment of substance use disorders, and pharmaceutical services. We care about the patients we serve and their health outcomes. The purpose of JHS is to assure that high-quality health and human services are available to the incarcerated population in the King County adult correctional facilities: the King County Correctional Facility (KCCF) in Seattle and the Maleng Regional Justice Center (MRJC) in Kent. The JHS vision is "Opening doors to healthier, happier lives, and the mission is to assess and stabilize serious health problems for the detained population of the King County Correctional Facility and the Maleng Regional Justice Center with a focus on transition from jail". We are staffed 24 hours per day, 7 days per week, 365 days per year, providing a broad range of health care to all individuals booked into the jails. For patients with serious mental health or medical conditions, special housing units (psychiatric and infirmary) along with a higher level of services and medical monitoring are provided. Since the patient population varies both in numbers as well as in acuity of health conditions, staffing is adapted and flexed to meet the constantly changing needs of the population. JHS staff manage the complex health needs of underserved populations, many of whom come to the facility without access to care in the community and with decompensated acute and chronic health conditions. Our division includes over 250 employees and an annual budget of over $60 million.

Public Health – Seattle & King County ("PHSKC", "Public Health", or "the department") is the Public Health Department for King County, Washington which includes 39 cities, including the City of Seattle, and unincorporated areas. Public Health is one of the largest metropolitan health departments in the United States with over 1,600 employees. With a biennial budget of nearly $1 billion, the department serves approximately 2.3 million people of King County who reside in urban, rural, shoreline, foothill, and mountain communities with distinct environments and unique public health needs. We operate primary care, dental, sexual and reproductive health, parent child health, and other health care-related services throughout King County across 40 sites and mobile clinics. King County is an international port of entry, welcoming nearly 40 million visitors annually. Over 100 languages are spoken by King County residents. Commitment To Equity and Social Justice Named after Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., one of the most influential civil rights leaders in our nation's history, King County is a vibrant international community with residents that represent countries from around the world. It is a region with increasing diversity that cherishes the traditions of many cultures. The county government has a deep commitment to equity and social justice and advancing practices, strategies, and policies that promote fairness, justice, and opportunity for all – in our workplaces and our communities. With this commitment, King County has adopted a pro-equity agenda to advance regional change and ensure that residents from all communities are incorporated into our emergency planning and public outreach efforts. We recognize that structural racism consists of principles and practices that cause and justify an inequitable distribution of rights, opportunities, and experiences across racial groups. Since declaring Racism is a Public Health Crisis in June 2020, King County and Public Health committed to being intentionally anti-racist and accountable to Black, Indigenous and People of Color communities.

Work Schedule The typical work week is Monday through Friday, 40 hours per week. Work days and hours will vary and include participating in team coverage of weekday day and evening shifts as well as weekend and holiday day shifts. Overnight on-call shifts are assigned equally across the team. We reserve the right to adjust schedules and work sites to meet the workload demands of the practice. This position is designated as hourly/non-exempt under the regulations of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), which means it is overtime-eligible. You must receive prior approval from your supervisor before working any necessary overtime hours to meet your position responsibilities. This position is a 1.0 Full-Time Equivalent (FTE), but a 0.8 FTE will be considered upon request. Work Location This position will have the requirement to work from both of the King County adult correctional facilities listed below: King County Correctional Facility (KCCF) – 500 Fifth Ave., Seattle, WA 98104 Maleng Regional Justice Center (MRJC) – 620 W. James St., Kent, WA 98032 Employees must reside in Washington state and within a reasonable distance to their King County worksite to respond to workplace reporting requirements.

Work Conditions JHS Employees are Mission Critical Employees. A Jail Health Physician may be required to report to the jails or alternative sites in the event of an emergency situation (including Public Health emergencies). Staff may be required to play an active role in the event of a Public Health emergency, which may include changes in responsibilities, work location, and working hours.

Job Duties

• Diagnose, manage, educate, and counsel residents on a broad scope of personal health care issues.
• Manage care provided to patients with complex medical problems.
• Perform minor surgical procedures, order medications, and make referrals for specialty services when necessary.
• Provide Women's Health care services, including gynecologic examinations and prenatal care.
• Provide care to patients in medical emergencies, including necessary support to maintain life and stabilize conditions.
• Document all medical evaluations, diagnostic and therapeutic procedures, treatment outcomes, referrals and consultations.
• Participate in training other staff on clinical and procedural topics and provide technical consultation to other providers and nursing staff.
• Participate in the development, implementation and evaluation of treatment guidelines and service delivery models.
• Work with others within the program to assure compliance with National Commission on Correctional Health Care (NCCHC) standards and subsequent accreditation.
• Participate in internal and external committees to maintain appropriate standards of care and quality improvement activities.
• Collaborate with the health care team to assure smooth clinic flow.
• Participate in rotating call coverage for the medical provider team.
• Provide testimony when required in various legal proceedings.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Experience, Qualifications, Knowledge, Skills

Our ideal candidate will demonstrate the following (Minimum Qualifications):

• Graduation from an accredited medical school and residency program.
• Be board certified or board eligible in Family Medicine or Emergency Medicine. If not certified, incumbents must become certified within two (2) years of hire.
• A Washington State Medical License must be obtained prior to hiring.
• National Provider Identification (NPI) number required prior to hiring.
• Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) registration required prior to hiring.
• Documentation of current BLS/CPR certification with AED training required prior to credentialing.
• Demonstrated ability to work effectively in a multidisciplinary care team and with a patient panel with diverse cultures and socio-economic background.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite, the use of electronic health records and data entry using a keyboard.
• Have a valid Washington State driver's license or have the ability to travel throughout King County in a timely manner.

The most competitive applicants will have the following experiences and qualifications (Desired):

• Two (2) or more years of experience providing Adult Primary care, including Women's Health