New York City Health Justice Network Continues to Make Progress
Involvement with the criminal legal system intersects with racism, poverty, trauma, and physical and behavioral health conditions that perpetuate health disparities, including increased disease and mortality risks in Black and Latino communities. To address these challenges, the New York City Health Justice Network (NYC HJN) links people recently released from incarceration with primary health care services.
A program of the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, NYC HJN pairs community health workers (CHWs) who have lived experience of reentry with participants to help meet their essential social, health and material needs as they reenter their communities. NYC HJN helps participants set and meet their own priorities and goals for improving their health and well-being. These can include access to and enhanced primary health, behavioral health, chronic disease care, and care and community-based reentry social services.
FPHNYC has partnered with the NYC HJN since its inception in 2019, helping secure grant funding from the Manhattan District Attorney’s office to pilot the program and expand its impact. Also partnering with NYC HJN are two federally qualified primary healthcare clinics, the Institute for Family Health and Community Healthcare Network. Additionally, the program works with three community-based reentry organizations, the Fortune Society, Osborne Association, and the Harlem Community Justice Center. All partners have proven experience working with people involved with the criminal legal system and partner appreciation of the NYC HJN has steadily grown.
“Over the past four years, we have referred hundreds of court-involved people to the Health Justice Network for assistance with needs such as enrolling in health insurance, finding a primary care physician, obtaining vital documents, applying for benefits, seeking employment, and more. In each instance, the community health workers have engaged participants with respect and compassion, both assisting with identified needs and forming supportive and ongoing relationships.”
Joseph Barrett, Program Director at the Center for Court Innovation
“Over the past four years, we have referred hundreds of court-involved people to the Health Justice Network for assistance with needs such as enrolling in health insurance, finding a primary care physician, obtaining vital documents, applying for benefits, and seeking employment among others,” said Joseph Barrett, Program Director at the Center for Court Innovation. “In each instance, the community health workers have engaged our participants with respect and compassion, both assisting with the identified needs and forming supportive and ongoing relationships.”
The New York University Population Center recently concluded a five-year, CDC-funded Medicaid match evaluation of the NYC HJN to compare its participants with comparable groups on a wide range of outcomes. Preliminary findings show significant impacts, including that compared to a control group NYC HJN participants had more engagement with primary care providers and were likely to receive medication for asthma, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes; they were significantly more likely to receive mental health care in the months following enrollment; received more substance use treatment; and were more likely to receive methadone treatment.
In the last five years, NYC HJN has received almost 1,900 referrals from partner sites and community organizations. The great majority of these referrals – more than 1,400 people – have received peer support and linkages to services from the program’s NYC HJN CHWs. With continued public and private funding, the NYC HJN will be able to improve the health and well-being of more New Yorkers whose involvement with the criminal legal system perpetuates health disparities.
“The Health Justice Network is an excellent collaborator,” said Christina Green, Director of Supportive Housing at the Osborne Association. “Partnering with them is pivotal to achieving the goal of successful reentry for our shared participants.”