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PUBLIC HEALTH MATTERS: Nicholas Freudenberg, Jessie Daniels, Martha Crum, Tiffany Perkins, and Beth E. Richie Coming Home From Jail: The Social and Health Consequences of Community Reentry for Women, Male Adolescents, and Their Families and Communities Am J Public Health 2005; 95: 1725-1736 [Abstract] [Full text] [PDF]

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Baltimore's Men's Health Center Builds Healthy Families One Man at Time

Nicole C Jarrett, Sherry Adeyemi   (26 January 2006)

Integrating Health Care into the One Stop System as a Safety Net for Ex-Offenders

Roxanne M. Leopper   (11 December 2005)

Integrating Health Care into the Workforce Development System as a Safety Net for Ex-Offenders

Roxanne M. Leopper   (11 December 2005)

Baltimore's Men's Health Center Builds Healthy Families One Man at Time 26 January 2006
Nicole C Jarrett, Community Research and Evaluation Baltimore City Health Department, Sherry Adeyemi Send letter to journal: Re: Baltimore's Men's Health Center Builds Healthy Families One Man at Time nicole.jarrett{at}baltimorecity.gov Nicole C Jarrett, et al.	We applaud the recent issue of the Journal examining the public health consequences of incarceration, and in particular, the work of Freudenberg and colleagues.1 As reiterated throughout the issue, the US incarcerated population is disproportionately male, African American, and poor. This profile coincides with the men that are served at the Baltimore City Health Department’s Men’s Health Center (MHC), a primary care center for uninsured men, funded in part by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation in partnership with the National Center for Primary Care. In a culture where poor men of color are undervalued, discounted, and viewed as dispensable, MHC penned the motto, “Building Healthy Families…One Man at a Time.” The approach to delivery of care acknowledges that men, regardless of their insurance status, are like most Americans, and seek to improve their life situations. Nearly 1 out every 5 men who seek care at the MHC is newly released from prison or jail. As they try to manage the various areas of their new beginnings, including reuniting with families, finding employment, and adhering to probationary regulations, they face the challenge of meeting their medical needs without the benefits of health insurance. As Freudenberg and colleagues found in their study examining pathways to re-entry for young men and women, lack of health insurance is associated with higher recidivism rates.1 We encourage future research and policy development that integrates accessing primary care with mental health and substance abuse treatment in models of community re-entry. For instance, our efforts to improve the health status of uninsured men has led to collaborations with the Maryland Re-entry Partnership Initiative for referrals of men soon to be released and participation on the Committee of the Baltimore City Ex-Offender Initiative, whose aim is to improve re-entry outcomes. The Committee of the Baltimore City Ex-Offender Initiative recently opened the Re-entry Center, which serves as a one stop shop for social resources for men, including medical referrals to MHC. The health of a community depends in part upon the health of its individual members. Criminal justice, housing, education, human services, employment, and public health policies can not be conducted in silos. People do not live that way. While encouraging other safety net providers to specifically target ex-offenders for outreach and form similar local collaborations and linkages, we advocate for a health care system that does not leave its most vulnerable citizens without the ability to obtain affordable medical care. References: 1. Freudenberg N, Daniels J, Crum M, Perkins T, Richie BE. Coming home from jail: the social and health consequences of community reentry for women, male adolescents, and their families and communities. Am J Public Health. 2005 Oct;95(10):1725-36.
Integrating Health Care into the One Stop System as a Safety Net for Ex-Offenders 11 December 2005
Roxanne M. Leopper, Policy Director FirstHealth of the Carolinas, Community Voices Initiative Send letter to journal: Re: Integrating Health Care into the One Stop System as a Safety Net for Ex-Offenders rleopper{at}firsthealth.org Roxanne M. Leopper	Thank you for focusing the October 2005 issue on Prison and Health. The issue of ex-offenders reentering society is a public health issue that is not commonly recognized. The authors of “Coming Home From Jail: The Social and Health Consequences of Community Reentry for Women, Male Adolescents, and Their Families and Communities” defined the key policy issues that need to be addressed as job training, post-release employment opportunities and access to primary care. These policy recommendations reaffirm work we are doing as a W.K. Kellogg Foundation Community Voices partner. We are piloting a local model solution that addresses the policy areas by utilizing the One Stop System for Workforce Development. The North Carolina Department of Corrections (NC DOC) provides each prisoner with a list of community resources as part of his/her discharge action plan prior to reentry. One of the sources listed is the local county JobLink program. The North Carolina JobLink program is part of the federal One Stop System for Workforce Development. Each JobLink involves various community partners, including the Employment Security Commission, the local Community College, Department of Social Services, Vocational Rehabilitation Services, local Chamber of Commerce and other partners who can assist with education and career development. All of these partners are available in the same area one day per week, making it essentially a “one-stop” system for professional development. JobLink services are available free of charge for any citizen 14 years of age or older. FirstHealth of the Carolinas identified this as an opportunity to partner with JobLink to provide the consumers with linkage to health care. We placed a Resource Coordinator at the local JobLink program to offer services such as pharmaceutical assistance, general health care navigation information and assistance with Medicaid applications. The NC DOC was informed of the partnership so it could actively refer ex-offenders who need health care assistance in addition to workforce development services. This partnership cultivated a community safety net that addresses the above policy recommendations for ex-offenders at the local level. This model can be replicated in any county in the United States that has a One Stop System for Workforce Development program. If the prison systems, the One Stop programs and the health care facilities work together, it could result in an opportunity to improve the reintegration of ex-offenders into society and assist them with overcoming three difficult reentry barriers: employment, training and access to health care.
Integrating Health Care into the Workforce Development System as a Safety Net for Ex-Offenders 11 December 2005
Roxanne M. Leopper, Policy Director FirstHealth of the Carolinas, Community Voices Initiative Send letter to journal: Re: Integrating Health Care into the Workforce Development System as a Safety Net for Ex-Offenders rleopper{at}firsthealth.org Roxanne M. Leopper	Thank you for focusing the October 2005 issue on Prison and Health. The issue of ex-offenders reentering society is a public health issue that is not commonly recognized. The authors of “Coming Home From Jail: The Social and Health Consequences of Community Reentry for Women, Male Adolescents, and Their Families and Communities” defined the key policy issues that need to be addressed as job training, post-release employment opportunities and access to primary care. These policy recommendations reaffirm work we are doing as a W.K. Kellogg Foundation Community Voices partner. We are piloting a local model solution that addresses the policy areas by utilizing the One Stop System for Workforce Development. The North Carolina Department of Corrections (NC DOC) provides each prisoner with a list of community resources as part of his/her discharge action plan prior to reentry. One of the sources listed is the local county JobLink program. The North Carolina JobLink program is part of the federal One Stop System for Workforce Development. Each JobLink involves various community partners, including the Employment Security Commission, the local Community College, Department of Social Services, Vocational Rehabilitation Services, local Chamber of Commerce and other partners who can assist with education and career development. All of these partners are available in the same area one day per week, making it essentially a “one-stop” system for professional development. JobLink services are available free of charge for any citizen 14 years of age or older. FirstHealth of the Carolinas identified this as an opportunity to partner with JobLink to provide the consumers with linkage to health care. We placed a Resource Coordinator at the local JobLink program to offer services such as pharmaceutical assistance, general health care navigation information and assistance with Medicaid applications. The NC DOC was informed of the partnership so it could actively refer ex-offenders who need health care assistance in addition to workforce development services. This partnership cultivated a community safety net that addresses the above policy recommendations for ex-offenders at the local level. This model can be replicated in any county in the United States that has a One Stop System for Workforce Development program. If the prison systems, the One Stop programs and the health care facilities work together, it could result in an opportunity to improve the reintegration of ex-offenders into society and assist them with overcoming three difficult reentry barriers: employment, training and access to health care.