Redefining & Investing in Community: Improving Telehealth Care and Educational Programs among People Incarcerated in Rural State Prisons

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Delivery of healthcare services within prison systems is underpinned by different models, yet access to timely and optimal healthcare is often constrained by multifaceted factors. This has resulted in health inequities within the U.S. carceral system (for both people who are incarcerated and staff in prisons). Given that people who are currently incarcerated are often in rural areas, they have limited access to healthcare and education. Telehealth has been used as an effective and low-cost alternative to conventional care, and internet access within rural and remote communities is currently being prioritized by government officials. Expanding high speed internet access in carceral settings could allow for telehealth services as an alternative approach to conventional care in a range of healthcare disciplines as a means of reaching populations with poor access to healthcare services, such as rural and remote carceral communities. Our organization and our research partner each serve and connect with remote incarcerated communities using the internet. To increase access to telehealth physical and mental health services, we propose to support the installation of high-speed internet into approximately 14 state prisons within the states of Maryland and Missouri. We are prioritizing prisons in rural areas that serve a predominantly Black incarcerated population. We will also be expanding our organization’s existing educational programming to include an insurance walk-through course, courses to reduce stigma about physical and mental health, and courses to promote physical and mental health care knowledge.