Jail/Prison Reentry

Breaking Ground: How California Is Using Medicaid to Improve the Health of People Leaving Incarceration

Margot Cronin-Furman, Vikki Wachino, John Sawyer, Silicia Lomax

Behavioral Health

This issue brief reviews this first real-world test of whether Medicaid coverage before jail or prison release will increase access to care and improve people’s health outcomes after they reenter the community.

CalAIM Explained: Caring for Californians Leaving Incarceration

Liz Buck, Olivia Randi, Dan Mistak, Kathy Moses

This short guide is designed for health care providers who are serving people leaving incarceration and returning to their communities. It includes correctional system basics and an overview of the reentry process.

Making CalAIM Services Work for People Leaving Jails and Prisons

Behavioral Health, Medi-Cal, Health Equity

CHCF senior program officer Mariana Torres talks about reentry opportunities and challenges.

Opportunities to Learn More About Serving Justice-Involved Individuals Through 1115 Demonstration Evaluations

This issue brief provides an overview of justice-involved 1115 demonstration initiatives, summarizes what is known from existing evaluations, and identifies a set of opportunities to design robust and equity-focused 1115 demonstration evaluation plans specific to justice-involved populations.

Opportunities to Learn More About Serving Justice-Involved Individuals Through 1115 Demonstration Evaluations

This issue brief provides an overview of justice-involved 1115 demonstration initiatives and summarizes what is known from existing evaluations of these activities. It also identifies opportunities to design robust and equity-focused 1115 demonstration evaluation plans specific to justice-involved populations.

Getting Out of Prison Is ‘Terrifying’

February 12, 2023

Nisi Marie Wilder, J. Duncan Moore Jr.

Medi-Cal, Behavioral Health, Health Equity

A Californian recounts her experience of being released from incarceration before her Medi-Cal coverage kicked in.

New Rules to Let Inmates Enroll in Medi-Cal Before They Leave Prison or Jail

January 11, 2023

Medi-Cal, Health Equity

Although jail and prison inmates are eligible for Medi-Cal after release, they often have long waits before health services begin. These new rules are expected to improve care and reduce expensive emergency room visits.

The Health and Reentry Project

Behavioral Health, Medi-Cal

This national effort seeks to promote continuity of health care between correctional and community settings. The project has published three papers about potential federal Medicaid policy changes that would permit covering people leaving incarceration in the period shortly before they formally leave the correctional system.

COVID-19 Risks Prompt Some California Counties to Ease Jail Populations

Claudia Boyd-Barrett

Many county correctional facilities throughout California are reducing their teeming populations to prevent large-scale COVID-19 outbreaks.

Opioid Safety Lessons Put Physician on Path to State Policymaking

Behavioral Health

After five years leading CHCF's High-Value Care Team and its opioid safety portfolio, Kelly Pfeifer, MD, will become deputy director of mental health and substance use disorder services for California state government.

For Californians Most in Need, Whole Person Care Pilots Break Down Barriers

Catherine Teare

Behavioral Health, Data Exchange, Medi-Cal

Whole Person Care pilots are gaining momentum and have attracted more than 100,000 enrollees so far. The pilots could make significant improvements in care for the most vulnerable Californians.

Catalyzing Coordination: Technology’s Role in California’s Whole Person Care Pilots

Keira Armstrong, Mark Elson, John Weir

Investing in Innovation, Data Exchange, Behavioral Health

Across California, 25 pilot programs are working to closely coordinate physical and behavioral health care with social services to help Medi-Cal enrollees with high-cost, complex needs. This paper delves into the technological successes, barriers, and opportunities encountered by the pilot programs thus far.

Whole Person Care Pilot Program: A Mid-Point Check-In

Lucy Pagel, Carol Backstrom, Hilary Haycock

Behavioral Health

Across California, 25 pilot programs are working to closely coordinate physical and behavioral health care with social services to help Medi-Cal enrollees with high-cost, complex needs. This paper provides an update on their progress and outlines remaining challenges.

Newsom Names Pediatrician as California HHS Secretary

Xenia Shih Bion

Stories That Caught Our Attention This Week: Mark Ghaly, MD, MPH, a physician with expertise in health care delivery and community outcomes, will soon take the helm of the California Health and Human Services Agency.

Expansion of Transitions Clinic Network in California

Behavioral Health

Up to 25 additional California community clinics have implemented Transitions Clinic programs to better meet the health needs of people recently released from incarceration.