Assessing Health Needs of the Burlington, Vermont Probation and Parole Population

Introduction: Although healthcare issues of inmates have been studied extensively in the past, health status and medical issues of parolees, particularly in rural areas of the United States, have received little attention.

Objective: The goal of this project was to evaluate health risks among the probation and parole population in Burlington, Vermont to guide recommendations towards improving health outcomes.

Methods: A 30-question health-risk assessment questionnaire was administered to parolees ages 18-60. The survey focused on evaluating health-related needs and challenges, knowledge of the available health services, and attitudes towards tobacco use, diet, and health habits. Demographic data were collected to evaluate characteristics specific to parolees in this rural setting.

Results: Of the 122 responders, 68.9% were male and 94.1% were Caucasian. Five problem areas requiring most urgent intervention on behalf of the Probation Office and the community were identified. Parolees were much more likely to smoke cigarettes than other Vermonters (63.9% vs. 18.0%) and were less likely to be covered by health insurance (74.8% vs. 87.5%). Other problem areas identified included rates of mental illness and depression, safe sex practices, and nutrition and fitness.

Interventions: Results from this study were presented to the Burlington Probation and Parole Office case workers and recommendations were made to improve access to community resources and preventive services to modify health risk factors.

Conclusions: Healthcare needs of this population have never before been comprehensively assessed. This project has generated preliminary data describing healthcare needs of the parole population. Smoking and mental illness/depression were identified as very prevalent in this population. Future directions should identify the best resources to meet identified health needs. Future directions are to identify the best resources to meet the needs of the population. Project results were presented to the Burlington Probation and Parole staff along with preliminary reference materials and recommendations for an in-depth training in selected areas. This approach could be used in other communities to improve health in probation and parole populations.