The Academic and Health Policy Conference on Correctional Health is an annual interdisciplinary scientific meeting for health services researchers, policy makers and clinicians concerned with the generation and dissemination of empirical evidence to support clinical care for populations under criminal justice supervision. This conference provides a unique opportunity for networking and collaboration. This project will expand the impact of the conference by completing two implementation science projects toward improving care outcomes for justice-involved populations. These projects will focus on: substance abuse evaluation and treatment, with particular emphasis on care transitions during community reentry; and strategies to improve screening and care for individuals infected with hepatitis C. Both projects will emphasize care for these problems unique to the HIV-infected populations Specific aims for the conference: 1. Attract an interdisciplinary group of correctiona health researchers, clinicians, health policy experts and state, county and federal correctional administrators to facilitate networking, present research findings, brainstorming, and discussing innovative interventions to improve outcomes for detainees, 95% of whom will return to the community. 2. Design and implement a two-day track within the conference focused on the implementation of evidence-based clinical practices that emerge from health services research addressing the most pressing needs in criminal justice settings: substance use disorders and HIV/HCV infections. 3. Increase the number and diversity of investigators early in their careers focused on the syndemics of substance abuse, HIV/HCV infections, and behavioral health disorders in justice-involved populations by providing competitive conference scholarships, mentorship programs, and opportunities to network and disseminate their work at the conference and in published proceedings. Methods: A call for papers is issued annually for submission of presentations and scientific posters. Each conference will include a keynote and a plenary presentation on the first and second day respectively and be followed by themed breakout sessions for presentations and posters accepted following peer review. The conference will also include planned sessions to facilitate discussion of research design and networked research projects. A schedule for the implementation science track learning intervention is described. Competitive scholarships are available for junior investigators interested in pursuing research on criminal justice health care.
Substance use disorders hover around 80 percent of the population and drug defined and drug related offenses are estimated at 80 percent of all arrests. HIV, hepatitis C, serious mental illness and chronic medical illnesses are prevalent in this population, with 95% of inmates returning to communities. Implementation of evidence-based practices to improve screening, treatment, adherence and community reentry will emerge from the conference.
