Journalist: Jessica Collins Grimes
Date: May 7, 2008
Summary: This public release reports the efforts of a program that links HIV positive prisoners with community-based healthcare services while they are still incarcerated. Results show that 95% of participants continued to engage in the health care programs after release from prison. The complete study is published in the Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved, May 2008 issue. The program is multi-disciplinary in its approach, although the role of social work is highlighted as a strength of the program because untrained individuals are unlikely to provide effective services.
Relevance: Prisoners are in need of variety of services upon release from prison. Information about effective programs that assist this population can be useful for social workers.
Questions:
1. What type of costs can be reduced by providing continuity of medical care for prisoners upon release from prison?
2. What percentage of prisoners continued to use medical services one year after release from prison?
3. What type of environment are former prisoners likely to return?
4. When was Project Bridge formed?
5. What were the baseline statistics for prisoners living in unstable housing? Prisoners who had a history of substance abuse and/or binge drinking?
6. What percent were in need of addiction treatment? How was effectiveness of Project Bridge measured?
7. What other outcome measures could be used to assess the effectiveness of Project Bridge?
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