Correctional Health Services Release Re-Entry Program

About the Program

Category: Health (Best in Category)

Year: 2021

The OC Health Care Agency (HCA) Correctional Health Services (CHS) Release Re-Entry Program assists incarcerated individuals with behavioral health and medical needs to successfully re-enter the community upon release. The goal is to break the cycle of reoffending and re-incarceration. Through the coordinated efforts of various HCA programs and the Orange County Sheriff’s Department (OCSD), the program provides the incarcerated population a safe, comprehensive release process that links patients to resources outside the jail. This includes a strong community handoff component to ensure continuity of care between in-jail and community-based programs. Inmates with medical or mental health illness undergo an intensive case management process beginning at the initial stages of incarceration all the way to discharge planning. The Release Team, comprised of a Release Nurse, Case Manager, Behavioral Health Clinician, Pharmacist, Clerical Personnel, Deputy Sheriff, and In-Reach Navigators, engages all identified inmates and ensures they have a plan of care prior to re-entering the community. Depending on an individual’s needs, this can be as simple as listing resources available in the community to placement in recuperative care facilities. The inter-disciplinary approach allows experts from various disciplines to share knowledge, to keep patients out of jail and into a better environment needed to succeed.