NCJ Number
215291
Journal
Corrections Today Volume: 68 Issue: 4 Dated: July 2006 Pages: 42-44
Date Published
July 2006
Length
3 pages
Annotation
This article describes the partnership between the Connecticut Department of Corrections (DOC) and the University of Connecticut Health Center in the Center assuming the provision of all health services for those under the Connecticut DOC jurisdiction.
Abstract
In 1996, the Connecticut Department of Corrections (DOC) approached the University of Connecticut Health Center to provide all health services for those under the DOC’s jurisdiction. In 1997, the Correctional Managed Health Care (CMHC) program was established and the center began assuming the DOC’s existing health care programs. Through the CMHC, the health center has developed a comprehensive health care delivery system for the Connecticut DOC. The program maintains all the operational characteristics of a staff-model HMO (health management organization). The health center has established several programs that rotate students and fellows through the DOC. This partnership between the Connecticut DOC and CMHC promotes both public health and public safety. With the increase in the number of individuals incarcerated across the country local, State, and Federal jurisdictions have been forced to look for ways to handle the growing proportion of inmates with mental illness, at least until alternatives to incarceration are adequate. Both the jail and prison environments provide academic health centers the opportunity to provide, in an integrated fashion, the broad scope of services that might not be readily available to mentally ill individuals in the community. This article identifies and describes one such academic-correctional partnership that developed an effective strategy to cope with substantial numbers of incarcerated mentally ill individuals. Endnotes