MEDICAL DIRECTOR - DETENTION CENTER - 40011425

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DEPARTMENT:       

DETENTION CENTER

DATE POSTED:            

MARCH 18, 2026

CLOSING DATE:           

OPEN UNTIL FILLED

SALARY RANGE:

$139,908.00 - $237,675.00

POSITION NUMBER:            

40011425

JOB TYPE:

FULL-TIME, (40 HOURS, EXEMPT)

 

 

GENERAL DESCRIPTION:

 

The Medical Director – Detention Center serves as the highest-ranking medical authority within the Durham County Detention Facility. This position provides comprehensive medical leadership, oversight, and direction for all clinical, behavioral health, and substance use disorder services delivered to adults housed in a 736 bed detention environment. The Medical Director ensures that all medical, mental health, and substance use treatment practices are evidence-based, patient-centered, compliant with applicable laws and accredited standards, and aligned with constitutional and statutory requirements for inmate care.

The position reports administratively to the Sheriff and receives clinical guidance from the Public Health Director regarding standards of medical practice and system-wide clinical objectives. Daily medical operations and treatment decisions are delivered by contracted medical and behavioral health vendors; however, the Medical Director provides oversight, ensures compliance and quality assurance, reviews complex or high-risk clinical cases, and directly delivers care when vendor capacity is unavailable.

This role is critical to maintaining accreditation through the National Commission on Correctional Health Care (NCCHC), the American Correctional Association (ACA), and compliance with Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) regulations for the Sheriff’s Medication Assisted and Rehabilitation Treatment (SMART) Program and the Opioid Treatment Program (OTP). 

 

 

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

 

The essential functions listed below are those that represent the majority of the time spent working in this position. Management may assign additional functions related to the type of work of the position as necessary.

 

• Establishes, implements, and oversees systems to ensure provider competency in primary, urgent, chronic, psychiatric, and emergent care.
• Develops and maintains an ongoing quality improvement program to evaluate, monitor, and enhance clinical effectiveness, patient outcomes, compliance, and service delivery.
• Reviews medical records, clinical documentation, treatment plans, and testing results; identifies performance gaps and implements corrective actions.
• Conducts quarterly reviews of detainee medical grievances and resolves grievance appeals; identifies trends and reports systemic issues to the Sheriff and Public Health Director.
• Reviews monthly, quarterly, and annual vendor reports—including billing, cost trends, utilization, and patient outcomes—to ensure contract compliance and identify program needs.
• Ensures full compliance with Care NCCHC, ACA, state and federal laws, DHHS audits, SAMHSA regulations, and other governing protocols.
• Oversees development, implementation, and monitoring of required policies, procedures, clin