Bringing Our Mission Home.
June 29, 2020
When Jim McLane took over Dewberry Drug Co., his family's drugstore in downtown Birmingham, he had no idea it would become the foundation for a national business providing healthcare services to local, state and federal correctional facilities in 27 states throughout the country.
More than 30 years ago while running Dewberry Drug Co. and serving as Chief Pharmacist at Cooper Green Mercy Hospital, Jim began providing pharmaceuticals to jails. Recognizing the growing need for quality medical care for inmates in prisons and jails, he shifted his full attention to providing National Prison Health Care, officially founding the company now known as NaphCare. Over time, he saw the needs of our patients become more complex, leading his team to develop a number of innovative services and technologies specifically for the corrections environment.
"It has always been NaphCare's mission to improve the lives of our patients through innovative health care solutions provided in an environment of respect," said NaphCare CEO and Jim's son, Brad McLane. "Now, we are bringing that mission home – ensuring that the members of our community who are in Jefferson County Jails receive proactive, preventive health care."
As NaphCare has grown from these humble beginnings, we have remained focused on Jim's vision of improving the lives of our patients by innovating the way healthcare is delivered in correctional facilities. We are now bringing our mission home – to the county where NaphCare was founded – to provide proactive, preventive medical and mental health care to people incarcerated in the Jefferson County Jails in Birmingham and Bessemer, effective June 1, 2020.
The impact of this new partnership with the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office goes beyond patient care. It also means that NaphCare is now providing more job opportunities in the Birmingham area for full-time medical professionals, including Registered Nurses (RN), Licensed Practical Nurses (LPNs), Nurse Practitioners (NPs) and Mental Health Professionals (MHPs).
"Our team, including more than 300 people in our Vestavia Hills headquarters, is excited to extend our mission into our own backyard," said McLane. “It feels good to be in Birmingham."