Health Check Up: Current Medical “Standards of Care” in U.S. Jails, Prisons, and Detention Centers

A Discussion with William Weber, David Himmelstein, and Erick Eiting

The second session of the Diagnosis of Incarceration speaker series will critically examine existing frameworks guiding healthcare practices in carceral facilities and how the structure of these institutions hinder or help incarcerated individuals access essential healthcare needs. Our expert panelists will help to highlight the gaps between established protocols and the lived experiences of patients to identify areas where the system falls short and leaves substantial room for improvement. We aim to discuss potential overhauls and innovative approaches aimed at reforming carceral healthcare, as well as the feasibility and challenges to their implementation. Join us to envision pathways toward a more equitable and effective system of carceral healthcare at the intersection of policy, practice and patient experience.

At 17:15 NB: the slides and audio regarding the NCCHC incorrectly stated that NCCHC is a for profit institution. NCCHC is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit entity.

Speakers

William Weber, MD, MPH, is an assistant professor of emergency medicine at Rush University Medical Center and Medical Director of the Medical Justice Alliance. His fellowship focused on the rights of those in carceral settings. He has consulted for the World Health Organization and serves on the Public Health and Medical-Legal Committees of the American College of Emergency Physicians.

David Himmelstein is Distinguished Professor of Public Health at The City University of New York’s Hunter College, and Lecturer in Medicine at Harvard Medical School, where he was previously an Associate Professor of Medicine and served as Chief of the Division of Social and Community Medicine at The Cambridge Health Alliance. Dr. Himmelstein has authored or co authored more than 150 journal articles and three books, including widely cited studies of medical bankruptcy and the high administrative costs of the U.S. healthcare system. His 1984 study of patient dumping led to the enactment of EMTALA, the law that banned that practice. He co-founded Physicians for a National Health Program, was a principal author of PNHP’s proposals for health care reform published in the JAMA and the New England Journal of Medicine. He received his medical degree from Columbia University and completed internal medicine training at Highland Hospital/University of California San Francisco and a fellowship in general internal medicine at Harvard.

Erick A. Eiting, MD, MPH, MMM, is a Professor of Emergency Medicine and Vice Chair of Operations for Emergency Medicine at Mount Sinai Downtown, which includes the Emergency Department at Mount Sinai Beth Israel and the Urgent Care Center at Mount Sinai Union Square in New York City. He is a tireless advocate for vulnerable patient populations. He has focused efforts on improving access to care for incarcerated patients using innovative care models and medical technology. Previously, he worked at Director of Population Health for Correctional Health Services at New York City Health + Hospitals. His use of telemedicine helped to expand access to specialty care through telemedicine, helping to cut costs and improve care coordination. Additionally, he worked at the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California, where he served as Medical Director for Inmate Health Services at LAC+USC Medical Center and also as Medical Director for USC Correctional Health. In this role, he used telemedicine to help triage patients with same day needs to determine appropriate care settings.

This event was recorded on September 25, 2024.

The Diagnosis of Incarceration speaker series is moderated and organized by Kennedy School MPA Candidate Dr. Cara Muñoz Buchanan, in collaboration with Katy Naples-Mitchell, Program Director of the Program in Criminal Justice Policy and Management, and Sandra Susan Smith, Guggenheim Professor of Criminal Justice; Faculty Director, Program in Criminal Justice Policy and Management; Director, Malcolm Wiener Center for Social Policy; Professor of Sociology; and Carol K. Pforzheimer Professor at the Radcliffe Institute.

Links to resources mentioned during the discussion can be found on our website:
https://www.hks.harvard.edu/centers/w...