Community Advocacy Program ReEntry Clinic – Connecting the reentry community with ongoing care for chronic health conditions

Last year nearly 5500 formerly incarcerated persons returned to Cleveland, Ohio. The Community Advocacy Program (CAP), a partnership between The MetroHealth System (safety-net healthcare provider) and the Legal Aid Society of Cleveland, opened a weekly medical clinic in 2007 to meet the healthcare needs of formerly incarcerated persons with chronic health conditions returning to Cleveland. The clinic serves as a gateway to primary and specialty healthcare throughout the MetroHealth System.

The clinic is staffed by two physicians, a social worker, and a paralegal experienced in caring for prison populations. Referrals are accepted from community social service agencies and the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Corrections. Physicians provide medical assessment and treatment at the time of the clinic visit. Healthcare providers then refer patient to specific MetroHealth System primary and specialty healthcare providers for ongoing, routine care of their chronic health conditions. Use of an electronic medical record enhances continuity of care for these patients.

Patients are also referred to the CAP paralegal to assist individuals in completing applications for SSI and Medicaid and appealing benefit denials. The paralegal works with healthcare providers to compile medical evidence as necessary to gain approval for these programs. The paralegal also facilitates referral of other legal problems to Legal Aid such as housing, food stamps, family law, domestic violence, and consumer law.

Future implementation and impact evaluation will determine if services result in improved outcomes for clinic patients. This program may serve as a model to improve the health outcomes of the persons returning to urban communities following incarceration.