Jail Health Physician

Full Job Description

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.

Position Summary

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.

Background

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.

To learn more, please visit: http://www.kingcounty.gov/elected/executive/equity-social-justice.aspx.

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.

Requirements

• 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.

Qualifications

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

• Two (2) or more years of experience providing Adult Primary care, including Women's Health care.
• Lived participatory community experience with Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC).
• Experience managing substance use disorders, including treatment of withdrawal syndromes, and use of medications for opioid use disorder.
• Proficiency in a language other than English.
• Experience in a correctional health care environment.

Additional Information

To ApplyIf you are interested in pursuing this position, please follow the application instructions carefully.

If you need this announcement in an alternate language or format, would like to request accommodation or assistance in the application or assessment process or if you have questions, please contact the recruiter listed on this job announcement.

Who May Apply

We welcome applications from all qualified applicants. We value diversity, diverse perspectives, life experience, and encourage people of all backgrounds to apply.

Application Process

The following items are required to be considered for this vacancy:

• NEOGOV Job Application (The responses on your job application should be thorough and complete and will be used in the screening process)
• Supplemental Questions (The responses to the supplemental questions should be thorough and complete and will be used in the screening process)
• Letter of Interest – Please speak to why you are interested in working with vulnerable and marginalized populations related to this body of work.

(Please note: Cover letters, resumes, and additional attachments will not be reviewed as part of the evaluation process if not outlined as a required application material as outlined above).

Your application may be rejected as incomplete if you do not include the relevant information in your application. Cover letters and/or resumes are not accepted in lieu of a completed application.

Applications and/or Supplemental Questionnaires that state "see my resume" or "see my personnel file" are considered incomplete and will not be accepted.

ContactIf you have questions or would like more information about the application process, please contact Falisha Forgash, HR Analyst at fforgash@kingcounty.gov.

Union Membership This position is not represented by a labor union. Necessary Special Requirements

• The selection process may include evaluation of application materials and supplemental questions, interviewing, and testing. You must completely fill out the application with your relevant education and work experience.
• The selected candidate must be able to provide proof of Basic Life Support (BLS)/CPR.
• The selected candidate must be able to pass a thorough background investigation and Pre-employment Physical, but findings may not necessarily disqualify an applicant for employment.
• For more information on our selection process, please refer to www.kingcounty.gov/depts/health/jobs/hiring. For tips on interviewing, please visit https://www.kingcounty.gov/~/media/audience/employees/learning-and-development/Interview_Tips.ashx?la=en.
• Employees are required to protect the privacy and security of protected health information as defined in State and Federal Law.
• Public Health – Seattle & King County relies on office automation (Microsoft Office) and web-based enabled tools, therefore candidates must be proficient and comfortable with computer use to perform functions associated with on-going work.
• Employees are required to adhere to OSHA/WISHA guidelines including but not limited to completing their mandatory trainings on time and obtaining required immunizations.
• Regular and reliable attendance, effective communication skills, and development of effective working relationships are requirements of all Public Health – Seattle & King County positions.

When Public Health responds to an emergency, and in accordance with relevant CBA language and/or KC policy and procedures, we may assign duties outside your regular job description.

This may involve responding at any time, including nights and weekends, with possible deployment to locations other than the department.

• If you need a disability accommodation in the application or testing process, please call the contact number listed on the job announcement.

Public Health – Jail Health Services follows and maintains federal and state requirement standards including, but not limited to, Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA) standards which apply to all public and private institutions that house adult or juvenile offenders.

PREA standards preclude the department from hiring or promoting anyone who has engaged in, or been convicted of any conduct which would violate PREA standards related to sexual assault including:

• Sexual abuse in a prison, jail, lockup, community confinement facility, juvenile facility, or other institution.
• Convicted of engaging or attempting to engage in sexual activity in the community facilitated by force, overt or implied threats of force, or coercion, or if the victim did not consent or was unable to consent or refuse; or,

Additionally, PREA standards require that the department consider any incidents of sexual harassment involving an inmate or detainee in determining whether or not to hire or promote anyone.

The above is in compliance with PREA and its implementing regulations, 28 C.F.R. Part 115, Subpart A, Section 115.17, Hiring and Promotion Decisions.

Forbes recently named King County as one of Washington State's best employers.

Together, with leadership and our employees, we're changing the way government delivers service and winning national recognition as a model of excellence. Are you ready to make a difference? Come join the team dedicated to serving one of the nation's best places to live, work and play.

Guided by our "True North", we are making King County a welcoming community where every person can thrive. We value diversity, inclusion and belonging in our workplace and workforce.

To reach this goal we are committed to workforce equity.

Equitable recruiting, support, and retention is how we will obtain the highest quality workforce in our region; a workforce that shares and will help advance our guiding principles--we are one team; we solve problems; we focus on the customer; we drive for results; we are racially just; we respect all people; we lead the way; and we are responsible stewards.

We encourage people of all backgrounds and identities to apply, including Native American and people of color, immigrants, refugees, women, LGBTQ+, people living with disabilities, and veterans.

King County is an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) EmployerNo person is unlawfully excluded from employment opportunities based on race, color, religion, national origin, sex (including gender identity, sexual orientation, and pregnancy), age, genetic information, disability, veteran status, or other protected class.

Our EEO policy applies to all employment actions, including but not limited to recruitment, hiring, selection for training, promotion, transfer, demotion, layoff, termination, rates of pay or other forms of compensation.