Carbon County is moving forward on a telepsychiatry program at the prison.

On Wednesday, Warden Timothy Fritz reported to the prison board that by the end of next week, the telepsychiatry program between the prison and Blue Mountain Health System will be up and running.The county currently contracts with Blue Mountain Health System to provide psychiatry services to approximately 50 inmates. The psychiatrist comes to the prison once a week.Fritz said this new program will help because the psychiatrist will be able to see inmates with more convenience and will cut down on travel time.Inmates participating in the program will see the psychiatrist via closed-circuit television feeds and will be provided with the same level of care as before.The prison board has been discussing using telepsychiatry services since February, when Sheila Theodorou of Carbon-Monroe-Pike Mental Health/Developmental Services spoke to the board about the mental health services offered at the prison.In other matters, the prison is working to implement the Sapphire Program to help create a more cohesive plan for medical records of the inmates.The program, Fritz said, uses digital files on laptops rather than paper files to track medications, doctor visits and all necessary medical information for inmates. It is then interfaced with the jailhouse management program and allows the county to provide the courts with reports on statistics about the overall mental health picture at the prison, as well as other ailments."It will create more efficiency," he said, noting that there are no upfront costs associated with the program.