New Position Statement Addresses Chronic Pain
Chronic, noncancer pain is a common complaint in corrections. Like any other chronic medical condition, it needs to be evaluated and managed appropriately. Although the correctional environment presents challenges in treatment, particularly when medication is required, these challenges are not insurmountable. To help primary care clinicians understand the issues and manage this complaint competently, NCCHC has issued a position statement titled Management of Chronic Pain. (Fall 2011)

Carl Bell Takes the Helm of NCCHC Board
Incoming board chairman Carl C. Bell, MD, CCHP, knows well the work of the National Commission: He is a founding member of the board of directors who served as chair in 1991. An expert in correctional psychiatry, he will focus on prevention as well as violence reduction in incarcerated populations during his term, which began Oct. 16. He represents the National Medical Association on the board.
   Judith Robbins, LCSW, CCHP-A, was selected as chair-elect at the October meeting of the NCCHC board. She represents the National Association of Social Workers on the board. (Fall 2011)

Welcome to New Board Members!
The National Commission and its board of directors welcome two new board members, effective October 2011.

• Ilse Levin, DO, representing the American Medical Association. Employed by Unity Healthcare, Levin is a staff attending physician at the Washington DC Department of Corrections and the Reentry Clinic, providing care to inmates and halfway house residents.

PREA Resource Center Draws on NCCHC Expertise
A new resource center is being launched as the national source for support, training, technical assistance and research to help corrections and law enforcement professionals in complying with national standards to eliminate sexual assault in confinement settings. NCCHC is among the half dozen partner organizations selected to help develop the center’s programs and will lend its expertise in designing training curricula.
   Established through a cooperative agreement between the Bureau of Justice Assistance and the National Council on Crime and Delinquency, the National Resource Center for the Elimination of Prison Rape is an important “next step” in the effort that commenced with passage of the Prison Rape Elimination Act in 2003. Learn more: www.nccd-crc.org/nccd/news. (Summer 2011)

Juvenile Standards Now Available
A new edition of the Standards for Health Services in Juvenile Detention and Confinement Facilities has been published. Two years in the making and informed by input from the field, the revised manual is modeled after the 2008 Standards for adult facilities but takes into account the issues unique to juvenile settings and populations. The manual made its debut at the Updates conference in May. See this article for a summary of the most significant changes to this edition. (Spring 2011)

2011 Updates Conference to Focus on Emerging Issues and Solutions
More than 1,000 correctional health professionals will convene at the Updates in Correctional Health Care conference to explore many of the emerging issues that affect this field as well as strategies for managing them. Preconference seminars will delve into NCCHC's Standards and other essential topics. The meeting will take place May 21-24 at the Sheraton Hotel in Phoenix.
Download the news release »

Geriatric and Palliative Care Education for Correctional Health Professionals
Aging inmates are straining correctional health care systems across the country, and the burden is likely to increase as this segment of the inmate population continues its rapid growth. In Kansas, which ranks 10th among states in the percentage of the “oldest old,” an innovative multidisciplinary organization has long sought to improve care for the state’s geriatric population by providing health professionals with training and resources for high-quality, evidence-based care. Now, the Central Plains Geriatric Education Center has set its sights on correctional settings.
     NCCHC has entered into a five-year agreement to help the CPGEC develop and deliver professional education on geriatric and palliative care for correctional populations. The aim is to collaborate with experts in a variety of health-related disciplines to determine needed competencies, generate content for attaining those competencies and develop multifaceted ways to meet the professionals’ learning needs. This education will be available to correctional health professionals throughout the nation. The CPGEC, which was launched in 1998, is housed at the Landon Center on Aging on the campus of the University of Kansas Medical Center.
     This important project is a major step toward enabling correctional systems to provide evidence-based care to a challenging patient population, promising not only to transform care delivery and patient outcomes, but also to significantly reduce health care expenditures. (Fall 2010)

Welcome to New Board Members!
The National Commission and its board of directors welcome three new members to the board. Each officially joined in October 2010, at the annual meeting of the board.

• Pauline Marcussen, RHIA, CCHP, representing the American Health Information Management Association
Marcussen works as interdepartmental project manager in the medical records unit of the Rhode Island Department of Corrections; she also teaches at Community College of Rhode Island.

• Ryung Suh, MD, representing the American College of Preventive Medicine
Suh is the president and chief executive officer of Atlas Research, a research and consulting firm based in Washington, DC; among other positions, he also teaches at Georgetown University Medical Center and other institutions, is a senior fellow at the National Opinion Research Center, and holds several hospital appointments.

• Patricia Voermans, RN, CCHP-RN, representing the American Nurses Association
Voermans is a health services consultant primarily doing quality improvement and other special projects, as well as a nurse practitioner for the Wisconsin Department of Corrections; she also is a lead accreditation surveyor for NCCHC.

Board Election Results
Congratulations to Carl Bell, MD, CCHP, whom the NCCHC board of directors voted to be chair-elect at its annual meeting in October. Bell has represented the National Medical Association on the NCCHC board since it was established in 1983 and has been an active participant, serving on numerous committees, doing accreditation surveys, contributing to Standards manuals and more. A board-certified psychiatrist, he is the CEO/president of the Community Mental Health Council, a comprehensive mental health center on Chicago’s South Side, and director of the Institute for Juvenile Research in the Department of Psychiatry, College of Medicine, University of Illinois at Chicago. (Fall 2010)

California Prisons to Adopt NCCHC Standards
The road to reform of the California prison health care system has been long and difficult. But now the turnaround is in full swing, and even greater improvements are on the horizon: The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation intends to bring 90% of CDCR’s health care programs in substantial compliance with NCCHC standards by June 30, 2015.
     This objective is part of the five-year strategic plan issued by CDCR Secretary Matthew Cates this summer. The plan has four goals with 26 objectives that are seen as key for organizational process improvement. Goal 3 is to “employ best practices in correctional custody, care, and rehabilitation,” and national correctional standards are a key performance indicator for this goal.
     Although the goal has several objectives that touch upon different areas of prison operations, the objective for health care relies on NCCHC’s Standards for Health Services. According to the document, “The courts have historically set CDCR healthcare standards. CDCR will adopt National Commission on Correctional Health Care standards to evaluate its performance and demonstrate compliance with national quality of care standards.”
     In fact, many of the prisons’ policies are already based on the NCCHC standards, and this objective will move them significantly further in that direction.
     CDCR is one of the largest prison systems in the United States, with 33 adult institutions, five juvenile justice facilities and several other types of facilities. It is responsible for overseeing 168,000 adult inmates and 1,400 juvenile offenders, and has approximately 66,000 employees. The strategic plan can be viewed online at www.cdcr.ca.gov/About_CDCR/index.html. (Summer 2010)

The First Med-Mal Insurance for Corrections
Correctional health professionals have unique risk management needs, and now there’s a special insurance program designed just for them. The Academy of Correctional Health Professionals has partnered with NSU Healthcare, a division of National Specialty Underwriters, to sponsor a professional and general liability insurance program.
     NSU will offer very broad medical malpractice insurance coverage with specialized risk management resources for all employers of correctional health professionals. In recognition of the value of accreditation, participants who work in accredited facilities will receive premium credits or discounts. They also will have access to a valuable array of risk management services, such as online tools and resources to help prevent medical staff errors and patient injuries, plus recommended resources, self-assessment tools, a video lending library, newsletters and e-news alerts.
     “This is an excellent program,” says Academy chair-elect Ralf Salke, BSN, CCHP-A, vice president of operations for Correctional Medical Services. “We believe it is the first program geared to fit the needs of correctional health professionals and it is truly unique in the U.S. medical malpractice insurance market. It recognizes the quality of NCCHC accredited facilities and the professionalism of Academy members, providing professional liability risk management services that will help reduce risk, prevent claims and improve the operation of facilities and companies serving this field.”
     The program will be unveiled in October at the National Conference on Correctional Health Care in Las Vegas. Visit the Academy in exhibit hall booth 134 to learn more. Information and a link will also be available at the Academy Web site. (Summer 2010)

• Already a prolific author, Tom Fagan, PhD, has notched another one. Coedited with Robert Ax, PhD, Correctional Mental Health: From Theory to Practice offers best practices for this challenging area of care. Fagan, who represents the American Psychological Association on NCCHC’s board of directors, has vast expertise in this topic. He spent nearly 25 years at the Federal Bureau of Prisons in various roles including regional psychology services administrator and director of clinical training for psychology services. For the past 10 years he has taught at the college level. The book is due to be published by Sage in December. Look for it at the NCCHC bookstore online and at conferences. (Summer 2010)

OTP Accreditation Assistance Continues
NCCHC has received a renewal of a three-year grant from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's Center for Substance Abuse Treatment related to NCCHC accreditation of opioid treatment programs. The funding helps to reduce the costs of education and surveys for OTPs seeking accreditation. (Summer 2010)

Congrats to First CCHP-RNs!
Fourteen registered nurses who participate in the Certified Correctional Health Professional program make up our inaugural group of CCHP-RNs! Designed to recognize the work that correctional RNs do and the difference they make, this specialty certification program held its first exam earlier this year; certification for this group begins Oct. 1. (Summer 2010)

Revised Guidelines for Disease Management
The NCCHC Policy and Standards committee has redesigned and renamed the NCCHC guidelines. Now called Guidelines for Disease Management in Correctional Settings, they are streamlined and standardized in format and content. They minimize discussion of clinical issues that are covered more comprehensively in guidance from governmental agencies and national organizations, instead focusing on issues of concern in correctional settings. Each provides a list of these valuable resources. Four guidelines have been approved thus far: asthma, diabetes, hyperlipidemia and hypertension. They are available in the Resources section of this website. (Winter 2010)

Pocket Guide on Schizophrenia
NCCHC is collaborating with Applied Clinical Education to produce an educational pocket guide titled “Caring for Individuals With Schizophrenia in Correctional Settings and Beyond.” Written by correctional psychiatry experts Andrew Angelino, MD, Jeffrey Metzner, MD, CCHP-A, and Henry Weinstein, MD, the guide includes a free posttest that offers one hour of continuing education credit for physicians, nurses and psychologists.
     Content will address treatment guidelines specific to incarcerated patients, key issues in psychosocial and pharmacologic treatment, strategies for risk assessment and risk management, common barriers to adequate treatment and  challenges with preparations for reentry to the community.
     The guide is supported by an educational grant from Janssen, a Division of Ortho-McNeil-Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc. It will be distributed in the first quarter of 2010. (Fall 2009)

New Position Statements
The NCCHC board of directors has adopted two new position statements. One addresses Transgender Health Care and the other addresses Health Services Research. Find them in the Resources and Links section » (Fall 2009)

NCCHC Receives SAMHSA Reapproval to Accredit OTPs
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration has reauthorized NCCHC to accredit opioid treatment programs for an additional five years. In 2004, NCCHC became one of six entities so authorized, and the only one specializing in corrections. By law, opioid treatment programs based in correctional facilities must obtain certification from SAMHSA, but to become certified, OTPs first must be accredited by a federally approved body.
     NCCHC standards are the foundation of the OTP accreditation program. The Standards for Opioid Treatment Programs in Correctional Facilities are based on federal regulations but address the special nature of care provided in correctional facilities. Learn more at the Accreditation section »  (Summer 2009)