Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2006. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
San Francisco Examiner - April 6, 2006
Michael Neibauer, mneibauer@dcexaminer.com
Unity Health Care, the city's largest provider of health services for impoverished residents, will work with Community-Oriented Correctional Health Services and the Department of Corrections to launch a new model for in-jail health care, officials said Wednesday. The program is a "really exciting partnership" that should not only improve inmates' health, but also reduce the number of people in custody by tackling substance abuse and chronic mental health problems, said D.C. Council Member David Catania, I-at large.
The relationship between services in prison and those in the community "is a promising opportunity for us to do something about reducing the size of our jail population," said Catania, chairman of the council's health committee.
Many inmates already have received care at a Unity Health clinic prior to their incarceration, according to the city. With the new health care model, doctors will be able to develop treatment plans and ensure inmates have an appointment at a community center when released.
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation will help launch the program with a $7.5 million grant. The grant money - some of which will go to seven other cities - will pay for technical assistance establishing the in-jail health service, while the corrections health budget, roughly $28 million, will be used to provide actual care.
In the fourth quarter of 2005, the D.C. Jail recorded an average 134 daily sick calls, up from 49 in the first quarter. Several inmates are spending time at Greater Southeast Community Hospital due to illness, and 6 percent to 8 percent of all inmates test positive for HIV/AIDS, according to corrections statistics.
Meanwhile, health care costs for inmates 50 years and older - a growing 9 percent of the jail's population - are three times higher than for young criminals, and 33 percent of all inmates require mental health services.
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