Journalist Roundtable: Pennlive reporters break story on Former Dauphin Co. Commissioner receiving over $300k from owner of jail medical company

This interview was recorded on November 19 at 3 p.m. 

For our journalist roundtable segment, we spoke with Pennlive reporters Joshua Vaughn and Juliette Rihl about their report on Former Dauphin County Commissioner Jeff Haste accepting $350,000 from the founder of the county jail’s healthcare provider when he was in office and making decisions about the jail’s operations.

Juliette realized a pattern during a report of Haste getting paid $60,000 a year to be a consultant to the county’s National Rifle Associations Outdoor show.

“It turns out that that was actually the reason his position was created was based on a false rumor that the NRA was going to relocate the show unless the county, like, really closely maintained that relationship. Turns out the NRA has come out saying that was not the case. They were not planning on relocating the show. So we really don't know why this position needed to exist, given that the reason for its existence was proven to not be legitimate, “said Rihl.

Haste resigned from office in 2021, and Juliette and Joshua began following the funds while Haste was in office. They discovered he was involved in giving millions of county dollars to the county’s tourism bureau, approving and funneling money to a county agency solar farm while he was living on the same friend the solar farm was being built on.

“And his high school friend, it appears, had no former experience working on solar farms, was made the project manager and wound up getting $2 million worth of contracts to work on it over the last ten, 15 years, “said Rihl.

As Joshua dug into this developing story, he learned that Haste received some form of income from PrimeCare, the medical company that provides healthcare services to the Dauphin County Prison.

“Which is the local jail he had listed on his financial disclosures, his annual financial disclosure that he had received some income. So, about a month ago, we started asking about that. And it turns out he had a contract with Prime Care to be a consultant, generally working in other states. But he was getting paid again, 60,000 a year to be this consultant for this medical company while he was a commissioner and while he was on the prison board, ostensibly supposed to be oversight of how the medical care was being provided at the jail, “said Vaughn.

Listen to the podcast to hear more about this in-depth report.

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Since this conversation we received this update from Juliette and Joshua:

The county has announced it will put out an RFP for medical care at the jail. This is the first time in nearly 40 years. PrimeCare has also provided notice to terminate it's contract early. The contract will now end at the end of May. PrimeCare intends to bid on the new contract.

DA Fran Chardo has asked the AG to look into the payments Hoffman made to Haste.

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