Will Horry Co. prison change its medical provider after the deaths of detainees?
After a rash of lawsuits regarding detainee deaths at the J. Reuben Long Detention Center, Horry County may seek a new correctional healthcare provider.
Mediko, Inc., a Virginia-based correctional healthcare provider, has been contracted with the detention center in Horry County since 2017. In the years that followed, court records show that in Horry County over a dozen lawsuits were filed against the company for medical malpractice and wrongful deaths at the prison. Most of the suits claim that detainees who were detoxing from drugs while in detention did not receive proper care, leading to their deaths. Now, as the end of Mediko’s contract with the prison prepares to end, new options will be considered.
Lawsuits from 2025 and early 2026 appear to document at least six separate detainee deaths, all during the detoxification process and all in Horry County. Past suits against the company in the county have accused providers of not caring properly for patients’ preexisting conditions, not providing proper monitoring and not administering medication in a timely manner.
Mediko did not respond to a request for comment.
Six suits were filed in Horry County against the company for medical malpractice and wrongful death in 2025, and court records show that three lawsuits have been filed in 2026 for medical malpractice, The Sun News previously reported.
Mediko was founded in 1996, providing services to about 25 correctional facilities on and near the east coast, including in Virginia, North Carolina and South Carolina.
Horry County detention center may seek new medical care
Horry County’s correctional facility started contracting with Mediko in 2017, attracted by the value for the services the company would provide, according to Horry County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Brennan Cavanagh. That contract expires at the end of March, meaning the county will accept bids from other providers — a normal part of the contract process, Cavanagh explained in an email to The Sun News.
Mediko and other providers were allowed to submit their bids for contracts from November 2025 to January 2026. During that time, eight bids were received, Cavanagh said.
Mediko submitted a new bid, alongside GENESYS Health Alliance, CBH Medical, Advanced Correctional Healthcare, MUSC Health, Southern Health Partners, Inc., Armor Correctional Health Services and Wellpath LLC, according to Bidnet Direct, the portal where the bids were accepted.
