Quality Improvement Fund - Justice Involved - Corporacion de Servicios Medicos Primarios y Prevencion de Hatillo (CSM) proposes a project to enhance healthcare services for justice-involved individuals (JI-R) re-entering the community from Puerto Rico’s State correctional facilities located in CSM’s service areas of Arecibo (Zip Code 00612) and Aguadilla (Zip Code 00603). The CSM Quality Improvement Fund - Transitions in Care for Justice-Involved Populations (QIF-TJI) project aims to address critical health needs, improve access to care, and promote successful transitions in care for 150 individuals scheduled or expected to be released from incarceration in 90 days or less, residing in the municipalities of Arecibo and Aguadilla, and extensive to the nearby municipalities. The project will focus on managing chronic conditions, preventing, screening, diagnosing, and treating infectious diseases, reducing the risk of drug overdose, and addressing mental health and substance use disorder treatment needs. The goal is to support the successful reentry into the community of 75 inmates annually over a two-years period in the Northern and Northwestern regions of Puerto Rico through a collaborative partnership between CSM Health Center and the Department of Corrections. The project will primarily serve the population of adult JI-R individuals (age 18 or older) incarcerated in Puerto Rico’s State correctional facilities located in CSM’s service area, specifically in the Sabana Hoyos State prisons, located in the Municipality of Arecibo and the Guerrero Correctional Facilities State prisons, located in the municipality of Aguadilla. The inmate population in Arecibo’s Sabana Hoyos Correctional Complex comprises 600 individuals and 1,073 in the Aguadilla’s Guerrero Correctional Complex. Furthermore, among the overall correctional population in Puerto Rico, 297 male and 12 female inmates are residents in the Arecibo area, while 266 males and 11 females reside in the Aguadilla target region, all of whom will transition to these specific communities. Data for the SFY2022-2023 reflected that the PR-DCR admitted an average of 15 inmates per day, resulting in approximately 459 monthly admissions, for a total of 5,512 admissions during that year. Notably, Arecibo and Aguadilla, where the Sabana Hoyos and Guerrero Correctional Complexes are located, rank among the top 10 municipalities with the highest number of confined men, reflecting the significant need for healthcare services. Furthermore, the profile of the confined population reveals a demand for managing chronic conditions, preventing infectious diseases, addressing mental health and substance use disorders, and reducing the risk of drug overdose, highlighting the critical health needs of JI-R individuals in CSM’s service area. A multidisciplinary team comprised of Case Manager, Addiction Counsellor, Social Worker, Psychologist, Physician, and Psychiatrist will provide comprehensive healthcare services, including primary care, behavioral health services, connection to opioid-assisted treatment (OAT), and case management. Additionally, the HC will collaborate with community partners to address health-related social needs such as housing and food insecurity, financial strain, lack of transportation, intimate partner violence, and other social determinants of health. The proposed implementation period is from December 1, 2024, through November 30, 2026, with requested funding of $1,000,000 for the two-years period. Through this project, CSM aims to address critical health needs, reduce barriers to care, and promote the successful reintegration of justice-involved individuals into the community.
