YesCare
A privately held United States contractor providing medical, behavioral-health, dental, pharmacy, and related services to correctional facilities.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
YesCare is the corporate successor to Correctional Medical Services (CMS) and is associated with the Corizon Health prison-healthcare business. It operates in the United States, supplying healthcare and pharmacy services to state prisons, municipal jails, and other correctional institutions. Its service portfolio has included primary and specialty medical care, behavioral and mental-health treatment, dental care, optometry, substance-use treatment, medication administration, pharmacy operations, utilization management, rehabilitation, claims processing, and health-information technology. The business developed within the private correctional-healthcare sector, where public authorities contract with outside companies to deliver medical services to incarcerated people. CMS was selected by the Maine Department of Corrections in 2003 and also held correctional-health contracts in states including Mississippi. In 2011, CMS and PHS Correctional Healthcare, formerly Prison Health Services and one of CMS's principal competitors, combined their operations under the Corizon Health name. PHS's Brentwood, Tennessee, base became the headquarters associated with the resulting business. Corizon expanded through contracts covering large prison and jail populations and through an in-house pharmacy operation known as PharmaCorr. Reference material describes PharmaCorr as the company's dedicated corrections pharmacy and as unusual in an industry in which pharmacy services are often outsourced. At its reported scale, Corizon served more than 115,000 incarcerated people through approximately 139 prisons, jails, and other facilities for about 28 clients in 15 states, although the scope of contracts changed over time. Ownership also changed. The company was majority-owned for a period by BlueMountain Capital Management, while private investment firm Flacks Group acquired the business in 2020. The transaction included PharmaCorr and was described as reducing the company's debt burden. In 2023, the Corizon business was divided into two entities. CHS TX retained most of the prior employees, contracts, and assets, while another Corizon entity entered Chapter 11 bankruptcy in February 2023. YesCare, also led by chief executive Sara Tirschwell, acquired CHS TX. The restructuring attracted attention because critics characterized it as a bankruptcy-based method for separating operating assets from substantial litigation exposure. The company and its predecessors have faced sustained criticism over the quality, staffing, oversight, and continuity of care delivered in correctional settings. Reported disputes have concerned delayed treatment, medication administration, medical-record practices, staffing shortages, mental-health services, deaths in custody, alleged abuse, and malpractice litigation. A range of public officials, former employees, civil-rights organizations, and public-health experts have argued that commercial incentives can conflict with the medical needs of incarcerated patients. The company has disputed some allegations and attributed at least one employment dispute to misconduct rather than retaliation. The authoritative reference identifies the current corporate subject as YesCare Corporation, doing business under Corizon Health and related names. Its present operating status, ownership structure, contract portfolio, and the outcome of later bankruptcy proceedings require verification from current corporate, court, and regulatory records.
History
Correctional Medical Services emerged as a participant in the expanding United States market for privately contracted prison and jail healthcare. Rather than operating hospitals for the general public, the company supplied institutional medical services to correctional authorities, whose contracts could cover primary care, chronic-disease management, emergency response, mental health, dentistry, pharmacy, records, and administrative support. CMS entered the Maine correctional-healthcare system in 2003. It also worked for Mississippi correctional institutions beginning that year, providing or supporting medical, mental-health, pharmacy, rehabilitation, utilization-management, claims, and technology functions. These contracts illustrated both the scale of the business and the central controversy surrounding it: governments relied on private providers to deliver constitutionally significant healthcare to a population with unusually high levels of chronic illness, mental illness, substance dependence, and infectious disease. In 2011, CMS combined with PHS Correctional Healthcare. PHS had previously operated as Prison Health Services and was described as CMS's largest competitor. The combined business adopted the Corizon Health identity, with PHS's Brentwood, Tennessee, headquarters becoming the headquarters associated with the enlarged company. Corizon's model emphasized multi-state contracting and broad service integration. It later operated PharmaCorr, an in-house pharmacy business serving correctional customers. The company's growth was accompanied by extensive public scrutiny. Investigations and oversight reports alleged failures involving medication administration, incomplete records, delayed care, understaffing, insufficient training, and inadequate response to serious medical and psychiatric needs. Civil-rights advocates argued that the profit motive and limited public oversight could produce harmful incentives. Corizon and its predecessors were also defendants in numerous malpractice and civil-rights cases. Reported incidents included deaths in custody, alleged sexual abuse by personnel, disputes over mental-health treatment, and claims that employees were discouraged or punished for raising concerns. Maine terminated its CMS contract in 2012 after a state evaluation identified serious deficiencies. In Oregon, an audit following the 2014 death of Madaline Pitkin at the Washington County Jail found that the contractor did not provide a registered nurse for roughly one-fifth of the required periods; the county later replaced Corizon with NaphCare. Corizon also faced criticism in Arizona over staffing and treatment of prisoners with mental illness. These episodes became part of a wider debate about privatization, contract monitoring, medical standards, and accountability in correctional healthcare. Ownership changed during the Corizon period. BlueMountain Capital Management was reported to have been the majority owner for several years. Flacks Group acquired the company in 2020, including PharmaCorr, and the transaction was described as reducing debt. The enterprise subsequently underwent a major legal and corporate restructuring. In 2023, the Corizon business was separated into Corizon and CHS TX. CHS TX retained most operating personnel, contracts, and assets, while the newly separated Corizon entity sought Chapter 11 protection. YesCare, under chief executive Sara Tirschwell, purchased CHS TX. Commentators viewed the transaction and bankruptcy structure as an attempt to isolate the operating business from accumulated litigation claims. The authoritative article identifies YesCare Corporation as the successor subject, operating under Corizon Health and related names. Because the business has experienced restructuring and reported bankruptcy proceedings, details about its current operations, ownership, contracts, and legal status should be checked against current court filings and official records.
- 2026
Reported second YesCare bankruptcy filing
[1]Reference material reports that YesCare filed for Chapter 11 on May 8, 2026; this future-dated claim requires independent verification.
- 2023
Corizon business separated and entered bankruptcy
[1]The business was divided into Corizon and CHS TX; the separated Corizon entity filed for Chapter 11 in February.
- 2023
YesCare acquired CHS TX
[1]YesCare acquired the operating entity that retained most of the former Corizon business's employees, contracts, and assets.
- 2020
Flacks Group acquired Corizon Health
[1]Flacks Group became the company's sole investor in a transaction that included PharmaCorr.
- 2012
Maine terminated the CMS contract
[1]The state ended its relationship with CMS after an oversight report identified significant care and administration deficiencies.
- 2011
Corizon Health was formed from CMS and PHS operations
[1]CMS combined operations with PHS Correctional Healthcare, formerly Prison Health Services, under the Corizon Health identity.
- 2003
CMS began Maine correctional-healthcare work
[1]The Maine Department of Corrections selected Correctional Medical Services to begin providing correctional healthcare services.
- 2003
CMS began Mississippi correctional-healthcare work
[1]CMS began a contract serving Mississippi state and county correctional facilities.
Products and positioning
A contracted, full-service healthcare operator for correctional systems, positioned around institutional scale, integrated medical and pharmacy administration, and delivery across prisons and jails.
Correctional medical services
Integrated correctional healthcare
Medical programs for prisons, jails, and related facilities, potentially including intake screening, primary care, chronic-care management, emergency response, specialist coordination, hospital referrals, medication administration, and clinical records. The exact scope varied by government contract and facility.
Mental-health and substance-use care
Behavioral-health services
Mental-health, psychiatric, psychotherapy, and substance-use treatment services for incarcerated patients. Reported controversies concerning staffing and treatment quality make contract-specific scope and current availability important to verify.
Correctional pharmacy
PharmaCorr
The company's dedicated in-house pharmacy operation for correctional customers. Reference material describes PharmaCorr as an integrated pharmacy business and as unusual within the correctional-healthcare sector.
Ancillary healthcare
Dental and optometry services
Dental, vision, and optometry services delivered as components of correctional healthcare programs. These services supplemented general medical and behavioral-health care under facility or state contracts.
Healthcare administration
Healthcare administration and technology
Administrative functions reported in connection with correctional contracts included utilization management, claims processing, rehabilitation coordination, and healthcare information technology.
Controversies
2023
Bankruptcy restructuring and litigation isolation concerns
The separation of Corizon from CHS TX and subsequent bankruptcy drew criticism from commentators who viewed the structure as a way to separate operating assets from litigation liabilities.
2022
Wade Jones death litigation
A jury awarded $6.4 million to Jones's family in a case alleging deliberate indifference to alcohol-withdrawal complications at a Michigan jail.
2016
New Mexico lawsuits and contract loss
Corizon lost its New Mexico contract and paid more than $4.5 million to settle state litigation, including claims involving alleged sexual abuse by a doctor and two inmate deaths.
2014
Death of Madaline Pitkin at Washington County Jail
Pitkin died during heroin withdrawal after alleged failures in monitoring, documentation, communication, and escalation. A county audit later identified recurring registered-nurse staffing gaps, and the county changed providers.
2011
Maine oversight report identified CMS care deficiencies
A legislative evaluation cited medication-administration problems, poorly maintained files, care delays, and insufficiently trained staff in the CMS program.
2005
Investigative criticism of predecessor Prison Health Services
Investigative reporting described complaints from officials, medical experts, and employees about healthcare delivered by PHS, a predecessor within the company's corporate lineage.
Brand decisions
2023
Separate the Corizon operating businessStrategyBackground
The company faced substantial litigation and financial pressure after years of correctional-healthcare operations and related claims.
Action taken
The business was divided into Corizon and CHS TX, with CHS TX retaining most employees, contracts, and assets.
Aftermath
Corizon filed for Chapter 11, while YesCare acquired CHS TX. The structure became the subject of criticism over possible litigation shielding.
2020
Acquire Corizon Health and PharmaCorrM&ABackground
Corizon changed financial ownership after a period of majority ownership associated with BlueMountain Capital Management.
Action taken
Flacks Group acquired the company and included PharmaCorr in the transaction.
Aftermath
Flacks Group became the sole investor, and reference material says the transaction reduced the company's debt burden.
2011
Combine CMS with PHS Correctional HealthcareM&ABackground
CMS and PHS were major competitors in correctional healthcare, and their combination created a larger national operating platform.
Action taken
The companies combined operations under the Corizon Health name.
Aftermath
The resulting business operated from Brentwood, Tennessee, and expanded its multi-state correctional-healthcare activities.
Recent events
- 2026
YesCare filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy[1]
Bankruptcy
Reference material reports a second Chapter 11 filing by YesCare on May 8, 2026, citing financial and legal pressures. The date and current status require verification against court records.
- 2023
Corizon entity filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy[1]
Bankruptcy
After the operating business was divided into Corizon and CHS TX, the new Corizon entity filed for Chapter 11 protection on February 17, 2023.
- 2023
YesCare acquired CHS TX[1]
M&A
YesCare acquired CHS TX, the entity that retained most of the former Corizon business's staff, contracts, and assets.
- 2020
Flacks Group acquired Corizon Health[1]
M&A
Private investment firm Flacks Group acquired Corizon Health, including its PharmaCorr pharmacy operation; reference material says the transaction reduced the company's debt burden.
- 2012
Maine ended its correctional-healthcare contract with CMS[1]
Regulation · Other
Following a legislative oversight report that identified problems involving medication, records, delays, and staffing, the Maine Department of Corrections terminated its CMS contract.
- 2011
CMS and PHS operations combined under Corizon Health[1]
M&A
Correctional Medical Services and PHS Correctional Healthcare combined their operations, creating the Corizon Health business associated with the YesCare corporate lineage.
Sources1 sources
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