2023 Goals

The LARRP Integrated Health Committee is a hub of critical information for the reentry community, including reports, guides, toolkits, hotline, and the latest articles on harm reduction, mental health, and other health supports.

In 2023, the IH Cmte has already met with Alex Sherman from the Sybil Brand Commission who shared valuable insights on health conditions in LA Jails and pursuing accreditation for jail facilities. By aligning with the standards of the National Commission on Correctional Health Care, we could improve the level of care provided to incarcerated people and reduce the risk of negative health outcomes and legal issues.

2023 Committee goals include advocating for policies and legislation that increase resources and support for medical staff in LA county jails, participating in efforts to improve healthcare conditions for incarcerated individuals, collaborating with other organizations and stakeholders to advance the goals of Integrated Health, and exploring opportunities to expand access to healthcare services and improve health outcomes for vulnerable populations.

Resources

JANUARY 2023
Guides / Reports/  Toolkits:

 

  1. Office of National Drug Control Policy:  Performance Measures for Medication-assisted Treatment in Correctional Settings: A Framework for Implementation https://www.whitehouse.gov/ondcp/briefing-room/2023/01/09/ondcp-releases-report-on-substance-use-treatment-in-correctional-settings-to-save-lives-reduce-costs/
  2. CDC Monkeypox Toolkit for Correctional Facilities: https://www.cdc.gov/poxvirus/monkeypox/resources/toolkits/correctional-facilities.htm
  3. NASEM: Reducing Racial Inequality in Crime and Justice  https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/26705/reducing-racial-inequality-in-crime-and-justice-science-practice-and
  4. AMERSA “Medication for Opioid Use Disorder Toolkit for Peer Recovery Specialists” amersa-moud-toolkit.pdf
  5. Hollywood 4wd's Guide to Ending Homelessness in Hollywood:  https://mcusercontent.com/34a00a14caee9c4b80b205b2d/files/f3108748-3edb-0db3-0f72-1a1389d81a96/Hollywood4WRD_FAQ_PDF_1.13.23.pdf
  6. PHI: Advancing Equity in LA County: Clinic Findings on Structural Racism https://phinstitute.wpenginepowered.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Advancing-Birth-Equity.pdf
  7. SAMHSA) has issued a new guide, “Expanding Access to and Use of Behavioral Health Services for People at Risk for or Experiencing Homelessness.”  https://link.edgepilot.com/s/16027882/XYNKvYVR40CvTSU7K_Y9lg?u=https://www.samhsa.gov/resource/ebp/expanding-access-behavioral-health-services-people-experiencing-homelessness.
  8. CHCF Health Care Almanac: Substance Use Prevalence & Treatment, 2022: https://www.chcf.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/SubstanceUseDisorderAlmanac2022.pdf
  1. CHCF Medi- cal & Leaving Incarceration: https://link.edgepilot.com/s/2f01ce56/aRiGbx6w_E_dBEYeBpL-Ug?u=https://www.chcf.org/blog/new-rules-let-inmates-enroll-medi-cal-before-they-leave-prison-jail/

CalAIM Guide for Justice-involved

The California Advancing and Innovating Medi-Cal (CalAIM) Program is the state’s new plan for re-envisioning and reforming the Medi-Cal program that provides health and behavioral health services for nearly one in three Californians. CalAIM offers a unique and unprecedented opportunity to improve the quality of medical and behavioral health care for the most medically vulnerable and complex populations through a broad array of policy changes intended to align and improve services.

n January 1, 2023, justice-involved individuals who are released from custody and who experience homelessness, serious mental illness (SMI), substance use disorders (SUD), or medical co-morbidities will be for these services. Medi-Cal managed care plans (MCPs) will receive funding through DHCS and will be
responsible for administering key elements of the CalAIM program.

This policy implementation guide provides an overview of CalAIM’s key program elements relevant to justice involved individuals and an initial implementation framework. The guide is intended as a resource for justice system agencies, MCPs, providers, advocates, and other stakeholders who are key to designing and
implementing this new program in their county and community to serve justice-involved individuals

The GUIDE

LARRP Integrated Health Committee

May 2, 2022

Click here for Zoom recording and enter passcode: 0h5t*VQX

March 2022
Reports:

HIV

HIV testing in your community! Organizations can now order free HIV self-test kits in bulk from DHSP through a Memoranda of Understanding (MOU).  If your organization is interested in receiving HIV self-test kits, connect with Saron Selassie at SSelassie@ph.lacounty.gov for more information.

Emergency Financial Assistance (EFA) is available for people living with HIV and can be accessed through multiple providers. Eligible clients may receive up to $5,000 every 12 months in emergency financial assistance via payments to vendors or landlords on behalf of the client. As of September 2021, 339 clients have been served through this program. Please see the flyers for more information including contact information for providers who can assist with the application process.

Prevention
In December 2021 the FDA approved Cabenuva (Cabotegravir; Rilpivirine), the first injectable treatment for HIV pre-exposure prevention which provides a dose every two months instead of a daily pill, further expanding the tools we have to help end the HIV epidemic. The Pacific AIDS Education and Training Center Program (PAETC) is hosting a four part webinar series to help California clinicians, pharmacists and members of healthcare teams better understand patient eligibility, clinical considerations, insurance coverage, and insights into cultural consideration for the use of Cabenuva. The series, titled Expand your HIV Toolkit: CA Statewide Trainings on Extended-Release Injectable Suspensions for HIV Treatment and Prevention, will happen every 3rd Thursday between January and April from 12-1pm. The first session, Medication Management 101: a foundation in prescribing practices, and clinic implementation experiences, takes place on January 20, 2022. Participants must register for each session they wish to attend and will need to create a login account with PAETC prior to registering

New Reports

ARTICLES

Journals
  1. History of Incarceration and Its Association With Geriatric and Chronic Health Outcomes in Older Adulthood   PDF
  2. Availability of best practices for opioid use disorder in jails and related training and resource needs: findings from a national interview study of jails in heavily impacted counties in the U.S.  (https://healthandjusticejournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s40352-022-00197-3
  3. The contingent effect of incarceration on state health outcomes https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352827322003019
  4. Mortality database linkages- A critical methodology to understand the structural drivers of the                  overdose crisis: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/add.16117
  5. Incarceration status and cancer mortality: A population-based study: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36112653/
  6. Exploring the relationship between debt & health afterincarceration: https://link.edgepilot.com/s/566b9e50/wo0eaQtQUUitl4WfF9k2eQ?               u=https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11524-022-00707-6
Opportunities

Apply to sit on the Steering Committee!

The EHE Steering Committee is seeking new members to sit on the Committee to serve as a catalyst for       EHE and advance EHE projects. Preference will be given to individuals living with HIV who are not       affiliated with an HIV service organization and are from EHE Priority Populations. For more information,       please contact Brian Valencia, EHE Program Assistant, at bvalencia@ph.lacounty.gov.

Submit applications here by Wednesday, February 1, 202

Are you interested in advancing health equity by improving hospital child welfare reporting policies and practices? Apply to join the Doing Right at Birth health professional cohort – starting March 2023

Who: Healthcare providers (social workers, nurses, physicians, etc.) committed to improving the care of birthing people with substance u se histories and their children

What: A quarterly meeting to foster a community of change and shared resources. We hope that the collaboration continues well beyond our formal networking time. We will provide champions a small stipend during the year of participation.

 Where/When: Zoom, at mutually agreed upon times

 Why: As you know, healthcare providers frequently over-report to child welfare due to misunderstandings        about both legal requirements and drug exposure and consequence. Improving hospital child welfare policies and procedures can rectify inequities and minimize over-reporting harms. This group is an opportunity to connect with colleagues from across the country and receive support to change hospital policies and practices related to child welfare reporting after birth.

To apply: Please email a short statement (3-5 sentences) as to why you want to participate and your C.V. or resume by January 31st, 2023. You can email KAlexander@friendsresearch.org OR MTerplan@friendsresearch.org OR Sarah.Roberts@ucsf.edu

 

Integrated Health Committee Meeting October 2020

Integrated Health Resources

Seeking members for Community Advisory Board

We Can Stop STD's LA just launched, Project Fierce program. STD rates are disproportionately high in communities of color, and this program is designed to achieve health equity for young women (inclusive of cisgender and trans women) of color in LA County with respect to STDs.

They are looking for 10 community advisory board members to identify sustainable interventions that will best address social determinants of health and prevent STDs in their communities. Please check out the details, and application in the attached flyer and share with any young women of color who would make a great community advisory board member.

Apply Here

Authorities nationwide are reporting an uptick in fatal opioid overdoses during social distancing.

The Daily Beast,  May. 03
Kate Briquelet,Senior Reporter
Authorities nationwide are reporting an uptick in fatal opioid overdoses during social distancing.

Read more

California County Fact Sheets:

Treatment Gaps in Opioid-Agonist Medication Assisted Therapy (OA-MAT) and Estimates of How Many Additional Prescribers Are Needed
This analysis presents county-level estimates of opioid use disorder (OUD) and treatment needs in California counties.

OEND

Reducing Opioid Overdose Deaths in LA County by getting people education, medication & services
The LA County Department of Health Services has launched a program to help people save lives from opioid overdose. Follow the link for places in LA where you can find free Naloxone/ Narcan and other resources.

Naloxone Training Videos

The LA County-sponsored naloxone training (jail release) videos are available for public use via the links below. There are various versions in English and English with Spanish subtitles. More videos will be rolling out in the coming months.

Overdose Prevention Training Video - 4 min (ENGLISH)

Overdose Prevention Training Video - 15 min (with SPANISH subtitles)

Integrated Health Committee

Committee Co-chairs:

Amanda Cowan
acowan@clarematrix.org

Committee meetings will be held every first Monday of  the month

The Integrated Health Committee is preparing to reconvene re-entry stakeholders dedicated to improving the comprehensive mental health, physical health, and substance use needs of the reentry population by addressing inequity across systems of care and increasing access to care.

USEFUL LINKS

Inmate Medication Information Form
My Family Member Has Been Arrested - What Do I Do?

These tools are also available in Spanish. They are used in 15 county jails throughout California and the Form was designated a Best Practice by COMIO, the forerunner to CCJBH.

California Mental Health and Substance Abuse Hotlines

Mental health disorders are among the most common medical conditions faced by Californians. An astonishing one in six residents suffer from some type of mental disorder. Furthermore, just last year California Behavioral Health (CBH) announced that around 8% of state residents suffer from substance abuse disorder. These are some scary statistics. We want to help. The following hotlines are available to all residents of the Golden State, and the last two are available nationally. If you or someone you love needs help, please call whichever hotline is most suitable, and please call today.

California 2-1-1
As a Californian resident, simply dialing 211 leads to an entire network of free and confidential assistance. California 2-1-1 offers free counseling, treatment programs, free information on mental health and substance abuse, as well as legal services and much more.

 COVID-19 Stimulant Use and Harm Reduction

See the fact Sheet

NIDA’s new handbook
on stigma and word choice around substance use disorder:

https://www.drugabuse.gov/sites/default/files/nidamed_words_matter.pdf

All Los Angeles County residents can access a free meditation subscription at http://headspace.com

2020 Peoples Guide Now Available!

New rules, information, and programs including:
  • The NEW State Rent Control law
  • Real ID—who needs one and how do you get it?
  • The latest information on DACA for immigrant youth
  • How you can expunge convictions to help with job searches
  • WIC is going to an EBT card system
  • What are Blue Cars and how can you use them
  • Diaper banks

The basic charge is $1.25 a copy. Individual orders of up to 2 books are free for low-income people.