Caring for those in Custody: Telehealth in Community Correction

Did you know 44% of prisoners have a chronic health condition compared to 30% of the general US population? They experience more serious psychological distress signs than people with similar socio-demographic features? Clearly, correctional healthcare demand is at an all-time high.?

But delivering quality healthcare to prisoners comes along with a myriad of challenges. Fortunately, telehealth can help address those challenges and come up as a wonderful solution.

Using Telehealth to Improve Healthcare Access to Those Behind the Bars

????? Supports Equality in Healthcare While Minimizing Escort Rate

It’s quite common for prisoners or jail inmates to escape or attack their guards as they leave their prisons to receive healthcare. A telehealth platform eliminates the chances of an escape or attack as prisoners remain on-premises and receive care via audiovisual functionality.

????? Encourages Continuity of Care

The use of a telehealth platform also means that prisoners transferred from one place to the other don’t have to discontinue the care. No matter where they have been imprisoned, they can still receive care.

????? Reduces Negative Experiences for Prisoners

Those in custody, when attending hospitals or clinics, are often faced with the stigma of appearing in public with handcuffs. Also, the appointments are often attended by the officers along with the prisoner, which means there is a lack of privacy. This can be more humiliating in the case of a female prisoner when the officer happens to be a male.?

Here, telehealth provides prisoners with the dignity and privacy they need to attend a healthcare appointment and receive care.

????? Reduces the Cost of Healthcare

The prison healthcare team has to bear a huge weight in terms of costs, as well as resources for patients’ transportation and treatment. On top of it, sometimes long travel is required to transfer a prisoner across the country. Telehealth emerged as a tool to reduce the costs of transporting and escorting prisoners to healthcare facilities.

????? Safety and Security Beyond Prison Walls

Escorts and handcuffs ensure security for not only the general population but also for prisoners when they leave prisons for treatment. Using telehealth services helps reduce the security risk because prisoners stay within the prisons, in their own cells to receive healthcare treatment.

It’s Time to Benefit From Telehealth

The use of telehealth and telemedicine platforms allows individuals behind the bar to receive quality healthcare, thereby ensuring better access to care without compromising public safety and increasing costs.?

Looking for professional assistance in developing a telehealth or telemedicine platform for community correction? Ditstek Innovations is here to help you out!

You can check our healthcare portfolio here - https://www.ditstek.com/portfolio/healthcare/all

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