Dissertation Topic: Formal training is needed for correctional healthcare managers: health services administrators (HSA), director of nurses (DON) and nursing supervisors. Formal training will reduce risk to inmates/patients, improve quality of care, and reduce tax payer financial burden.
Problem Statement: Prisoners do have a constitutional right to healthcare, states are legally mandated to make certain that any cost saving measures do not negatively impact the quality of care provided to incarcerated offenders (PEW report, 2014). According to the May 2014 PEW report, prison healthcare spending in 44 states was $6.5 billion dollars, in 42 of these states the median growth was noted to be 49%, and in 10 of these states, the cost growth …show more content…
Some factors impacting the rising costs are: Aging inmate population, infectious and chronic diseases, mental illness, and substance abuse. Challenges in delivering care in prisons and jails, such as facility lock downs, inmate no contact issues, process for getting patients to off-site specialty care and violent inmates/patients (PEW report, 2014). These things not only are the cause for rising costs but create inequalities, that increase negative outcomes to patients, and tax burden for the community, as well as professional liability for the healthcare professionals. For example: New York City, agreed to pay $5.25 million to settle a lawsuit that was related to the 2013 death of a mentally ill inmate/patient (Weiser, 2016). In 2006 the State of California was found to not be in compliance with providing inmates with constitutionally acceptable medical care, a court appointed receiver was assigned to provide oversight and management of inmate care. This action recommended, in part, that a board be developed and implemented and on this board, there should be appointed healthcare professionals and experienced managers to the board (California Legislative Executive Summary, …show more content…
In those seven years, HSA turnover has been a persistent problem. The issue is often lack of skill set to accomplish the high stress, demanding position. Often times an individual is promoted because he or she was an excellent nurse, or has an excellent resume and education in health care or business administration but those degrees do not provide corrections specific information, and being an excellent nurse, has little to do with being an administrator, or director of nursing. Frequently new HSA’s are put into the position with little to no orientation and are expected to perform. There may be some information provided through a three day “boot camp” or through conference calls and telephone conversations, but these things do not get to the specialized skill set and information needed to operate medical, mental health and dental services in a prison and/or jail. In my role of operations specialist with Correct Care Solutions, HSA’s often expressed feeling inadequate because they lacked training and experience but felt like when support was given, it was support they did not need or did not focus on their specific concerns, and in some cases, HSA’s resigned or would threaten to resign and I would spend a significant amount of time working with them to retain them. Retention of management is critical in building a solid health care program, managing client
Problem Statement: Prisoners do have a constitutional right to healthcare, states are legally mandated to make certain that any cost saving measures do not negatively impact the quality of care provided to incarcerated offenders (PEW report, 2014). According to the May 2014 PEW report, prison healthcare spending in 44 states was $6.5 billion dollars, in 42 of these states the median growth was noted to be 49%, and in 10 of these states, the cost growth …show more content…
Some factors impacting the rising costs are: Aging inmate population, infectious and chronic diseases, mental illness, and substance abuse. Challenges in delivering care in prisons and jails, such as facility lock downs, inmate no contact issues, process for getting patients to off-site specialty care and violent inmates/patients (PEW report, 2014). These things not only are the cause for rising costs but create inequalities, that increase negative outcomes to patients, and tax burden for the community, as well as professional liability for the healthcare professionals. For example: New York City, agreed to pay $5.25 million to settle a lawsuit that was related to the 2013 death of a mentally ill inmate/patient (Weiser, 2016). In 2006 the State of California was found to not be in compliance with providing inmates with constitutionally acceptable medical care, a court appointed receiver was assigned to provide oversight and management of inmate care. This action recommended, in part, that a board be developed and implemented and on this board, there should be appointed healthcare professionals and experienced managers to the board (California Legislative Executive Summary, …show more content…
In those seven years, HSA turnover has been a persistent problem. The issue is often lack of skill set to accomplish the high stress, demanding position. Often times an individual is promoted because he or she was an excellent nurse, or has an excellent resume and education in health care or business administration but those degrees do not provide corrections specific information, and being an excellent nurse, has little to do with being an administrator, or director of nursing. Frequently new HSA’s are put into the position with little to no orientation and are expected to perform. There may be some information provided through a three day “boot camp” or through conference calls and telephone conversations, but these things do not get to the specialized skill set and information needed to operate medical, mental health and dental services in a prison and/or jail. In my role of operations specialist with Correct Care Solutions, HSA’s often expressed feeling inadequate because they lacked training and experience but felt like when support was given, it was support they did not need or did not focus on their specific concerns, and in some cases, HSA’s resigned or would threaten to resign and I would spend a significant amount of time working with them to retain them. Retention of management is critical in building a solid health care program, managing client