Jail Administration Telehealth Solutions

Virtual health programs are transforming how jails and correctional facilities deliver care. 

Safety is improved with fewer transports to hospitals, and exposure to infectious diseases is limited as inmates are seen virtually from the jail. 

Cost savings are experienced as trips to hospitals and emergency rooms are reduced, and inmates with chronic conditions can be monitored regularly, preventing unnecessary transports in the future, while providing more timely care on a regular basis. 

Access to specialty healthcare is expanded. This is often limited in many jails and prisons, which can be a critical factor in an inmate's overall health and rehabilitation. 

Telehealth solutions such as virtual portals and kiosks not only lower the stress on correctional institution staff, but also allow inmates to access treatment plans and meet with counselors, psychiatrists, and other specialty doctors without leaving the jail facility. 

The result: greater impact through continuity of treatment and increased access to culturally competent and specific clinicians. 

Key Features:

• Inmates can access licensed practitioners and specialty doctors for intake appointments, medication-assisted treatment, counseling sessions, medical management appointments and more. 
• Experienced providers treat inmates virtually. Location or distance is no longer a barrier to care.
• Inmates can build virtual relationships with community-based mental health providers, increasing the likelihood they continue their care post-release. 

How it Works: 

• Custom workflows are set up to determine how appointments will be requested and scheduled.
• Inmates and jail staff members follow the workflow to schedule an appointment with a provider.
• Inmates connect with providers during scheduled appointments via their virtual care portal.
• Together, with the provider, the inmate completes the treatment plan. 

Case Study: Franklin County Jail

THE PROBLEM:

Access to specialty healthcare is limited in Florida’s rural jails and prisons. This can be a critical factor in an inmate’s overall health and rehabilitation.

Additionally, Franklin County, FL has been beset by a drug addiction crisis.  An innovative approach was needed to get inmates access to care and mental health counseling -- a proven way to combat addiction. 

THE SOLUTION:

Big Bend Community Based Care partnered with the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office to put an LTI kiosk and telehealth portal in their county jail. The kiosk allows inmates to meet with counselors, psychiatrists, and other specialty doctors without leaving the jail or a doctor having to travel to the jail’s relatively remote location.

THE RESULTS:

LTI’s telehealth portals have allowed Franklin County Jail to help inmates get improved access to care -- from those who are suffering from addiction to those in need of mental and acute health services they otherwise could not receive.

To learn more, visit BBCBC's Annual Report.