LA County Jails Seek to Improve Health of Inmates

Lockdown B&W” by Krystian Olszanski licensed under CC BY 2.0

Source: Kaiser Health News

The Los Angeles County Department of Health Services has been developing a plan to improve the health of inmates across LA county jails.

The goal, say health officials, is to have more cases where inmates are leaving jail healthier than when they first arrived.

A big part of the plan is to improve the quality of the clinics within the jail system so that inmates are appointed to doctors who can help monitor their health and also help them get medications and treatments. Additionally, access to mental health care will be crucial.

Because many inmates are only part of the system for a few days, a few months or years, officials say that the steps that inmates take toward improving their health during that period is crucial.

The county is currently in the process of recruiting physicians to low-income neighborhoods around the country to help the overall project of improving access to care within U.S. jails.

Read Full Story: Kaiser Health News

Justice & Poverty, News
Justice & Poverty, News