BOH minutes 082317 - Laserfiche WebLink

Browse Search

MINUTES-Draft ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF HEALTH August 23, 2017 S:\Managers Working Files\BOH\Agenda & Abstracts\2017 Agenda & Abstracts/ August Page 7 Current Fee Fee Impact MDPP Flat Fee $0 $25 $1,875 Motion to approve the proposed fee changes for 2017-2018 as presented and forward to the Board of County Commissioners for action was made by Barbara Chavious, seconded by Jennifer Deyo and carried without dissent. C. FIT Program Pam McCall, Personal Health Services Director, gave an overview of the Formerly Incarcerated Transitions (FIT) Program which is a project funded by the Duke Endowment to provide people released from NC prisons assistance in accessing medical services and other community reentry services. She began with some statistics and reasons detailing the need for the FIT Program. They include:  There are over 36,000 incarcerated in NC State Prisons.  Chronic disease are burden high (80%). Those include chronic medical problems, mental illness, and substance use disorders.  There is no system in place to transition into health care.  Only 15%-25% see a medical provider in first year post-release.  Death rate is 12 times normal in the first 2 weeks post-release. The NC Department of Public Safety (DPS) is in the process of improving the reentry process. Transition sites, which are existing prisons that will create protocols to facilitate coordination of services with local reentry service providers, are being created. Prisoners will be relocated to a transition site near their county of residence up to a year prior to release, enhancing opportunities to establish a reentry plan prior to discharge. To organize these efforts, DPS has encouraged regional reentry councils, where local organizations and agencies collaborate in supporting successful reentry. The missing component in the reentry process has been coordination of medical care. Presently, there is no system in place to link released prisoners with comprehensive health care services. The FIT Program will utilize a Community Health Worker who will engage people with chronic disease prior to release at a Transition Site, and along with the local reentry council, develop a comprehensive reentry plan. OCHD is partnering with UNC Family Medicine to implement the program by hiring and supervising a Community Health Worker to provide case management services to people being released from prison in Orange County. For year one, the funding amount will be $35,594. The goals of the FIT program are:  Increase utilization of Primary Care and Behavioral Health Services.  Decrease rates of ED visits and hospitalization.  Increase adherence with use of medications and treatment plans.  Decrease recidivism.  Improve health outcomes and satisfaction with health care services. The BOH had questions that were addressed by Ms. McCall.