The Bridge/El Puente program will serve 300 newly released inmates from the Hampden County Correctional Center (HCCC) over 3 years. Inmates have a history of opiate and/or alcohol addiction, and are at high risk or are diagnosed with HIV or HCV. HCCC is now offering medication assisted treatment (MAT), extended release naltrexone (Vivitrol), buprenorphine and methadone, prior to release. Bi-cultural/bi-lingual case managers help inmates to continue or to start MAT once back in the community. This includes bridge prescriptions, addressing insurance issues, setting up first appointment and logistical help with getting to MAT appointments. Additionally, Bridge case managers address the often-large array of other needs newly released people struggle with upon return to the community. Bridge/El Puente is funded by SAMHSA/CSAT. In our second year, we recently obtained IRB approval to examine differences in outcomes between inmates who choose buprenorphine, naltrexone or methadone prior to release from jail and those who reject/are not offered MAT prior to release despite having an opioid use disorder. While many do start MAT once back in the community, we are interested in understanding whether initiation of MAT while in jail significantly improves outcomes.

Qiuwei Yang and Dr. Hugh Silk are joined by family physician Dr. Lisa Gussak to discuss the impact of incarceration on health and medical care. Recorded November 2019. Dr. Gussak's piece "Penal Code" was first published in Pulse: Voices from the Heart of Medicine. The transcript for this episode is available for download as an additional file.

Background: There is limited research and research dissemination on the care of detained persons, often due to barriers to conducting research in correctional settings. Additionally, while concerns exist about the quality of care delivered to inmates, only a small number of academic health science centers provide health care services behind bars. To strengthen the field of academic criminal justice health (ACJH), the Academic and Health Policy Conference on Correctional Health (AHPCCH) was launched in 2007. Objective: To assess the merits of the conference as a stimulus to advance the field of ACJH. Methods: Two hundred ninety-one individuals were identified who had presented at the AHPCCH and/or had received a conference attendance scholarship between 2011 and 2013. A web-based survey assessed: networking opportunities; motivation to disseminate or continue in this field; scholarly outputs; clinical practice changes; clinical guidelines development; curriculum/training opportunities; and a climate assessment at participant’s home institution in support of their work. Results: With a 56 % response rate, the majority felt that the conference: provided encouragement and confidence to continue their work; validated their identity as a contributor in the field; and provided valuable feedback on their work. 86 % reported that the conference provided numerous networking opportunities. Most respondents reported that the conference provided new ideas for research and/or academic efforts and 62 % reported motivation to expand their scholarly work. Most also indicated that their choice to work in criminal justice health was respected at their home institution, with 64 % identifying collaborators with similar content interest/expertise and 66 % reporting opportunities to advance available as a result of their work. However, 70 % do not receive institutional funding during periods when their own extramural funding is low and 59 % were not part of an ACJH research core. Conclusions: The majority of presenters and scholars felt that the conference fulfilled professional development opportunities needed in the field. Moreover, the conference generated new ideas for research and/or academic efforts. Thus, the AHPCCH is a valuable opportunity for researchers, policymakers and clinicians to network, share and improve upon their work, generate research ideas and, ultimately, validate criminal justice health as an academic field of study.