The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of Minority Health is investing $300,300 in Phoenix to improve health outcomes for minority and/or disadvantaged young adults leaving the justice system and returning to their communities.
Dr. Dawn Noggle, mental health director for the Maricopa County Correctional Health Services talks more about the grant.
JOSE: THE CITY OF PHOENIX HAS A NEW GRANT TO IMPROVE HEALTH OUTCOMES FOR DISADVANTAGED AND/OR MINORITY YOUNG ADULTS LEAVING THE JUSTICE SYSTEM AND RETURNING TO THE THEIR COMMUNITIES. JOINING ME TO TALK ABOUT THIS IS DOCTOR DAWN NOGGLE, MENTAL HEALTH DIRECTOR FOR THE MARICOPA COUNTY CORRECTIONAL HEALTH SERVICES. THIS PROGRAM IS BRAND NEW. ONE OF SEVEN CITIES THAT'S BEEN CHOSEN FOR THIS. TELL ME ABOUT MORE ABOUT THE PROGRAM?
DAWN NOGGLE: IT'S A PROGRAM THAT IS DEDICATED TO IDENTIFYING YOUTH IN THE AGES OF 18 TO 26 THAT ARE AT RISK EITHER BECAUSE OF BEHAVIORAL HEALTH AND AT RISK FOR REMAINING INCARCERATED. IT IS TARGETING YOUNG PEOPLE AND MINORITIES MAY NOT BE GETTING THE HEALTH CARE THEY NEED TO CREATE A WHOLISTIC PROGRAM THAT WILL ALLOW THEM TO LEAVE JAIL AND REENTER THE COMMUNITY IN A WAY THAT THEY NO LONGER HAVE TO BE IN THE JUSTICE SYSTEM AND NAVIGATED TO THE RIGHT SERVICES THAT THEY NEED SO THEY CAN BE SUCCESSFUL IN THE COMMUNITY.
JOSE: I WANT TO TALK ABOUT SPECIFIC SERVICES BUT HOW MUCH MONEY AND OVER WHAT PERIOD?
DAWN NOGGLE: $1.5 MILLION GRANT OVER THE SPACE OF FIVE YEARS. $300,000 EACH YEAR.
JOSE: HOW MANY PEOPLE WILL IT SERVE?
DAWN NOGGLE: 50 INDIVIDUALS WILL BE IDENTIFIED AND THE SAME 50 IN THE FIRST YEAR COULD BE SERVED THROUGHOUT THE FIVE YEARS.
JOSE: A TOTAL OF 250 PEOPLE?
DAWN NOGGLE: YEAH. 250 PEOPLE.
JOSE: TELL US WHAT HAPPENS? HOW ARE THEY SELECTED? THE PARTICIPANTS. OR HOW WILL THEY BE SELECTED?
DAWN NOGGLE: THE IDEA IS TARGET THOSE INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE STARTING TO HAVE THE RISK OF BEING INVOLVED IN THE JUSTICE SYSTEM MORE FREQUENTLY. THE GOAL IS TO TRY TO REDUCE THAT RECIDIVISM TO THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM. AND INDIVIDUALS THAT HAVE MEDICAL, BEHAVIORAL, OR SUBSTANCE ABUSE NEEDS THAT IF THEY GET THE RIGHT HEALTH SERVICE THEY NEED AND NAVIGATED TO THOSE SERVICES THEY WILL HAVE A CHANCE TO TRANSITION INTO THE COMMUNITY. THIS GRANT WILL HELP DEVELOP FOR THEM TO GET THEIR GED OR WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT OR FOR THEM TO BE STABLELY HOUSED AND HAVE INCOME SO THEY CAN LEARN HOW TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE HEALTH SYSTEM THAT IS THERE FOR THEM AND THEY CAN TRANSITION INTO THE COMMUNITY EFFECTIVELY. WE KNOW IT IS NOT A NATURAL STATE FOR PEOPLE TO GET INVOLVED IN THE JUSTICE SYSTEM AND INCARCERATED OVER AND OVER AGAIN. THERE ARE GAPS AND NEEDS AND IF WE ADDRESS THEM EARLY ON WE ARE PROVIDING THAT AVAILABILITY TO HAVE A SUCCESSFUL LIFE IN THE COMMUNITY AT A YOUNG AGE.
JOSE: APART FROM THE PEOPLE WITH DRUG ISSUES IS THERE A PARTICULAR PROFILE FOR THOSE LIKELY TO HAVE RECIDIVISM?
DAWN NOGGLE: I DON'T THINK THAT THERE'S NECESSARILY A PROFILE. WE KNOW THEY START HAVING CRIMINOGENIC RISKS. THESE ARE RISKS IN TERMS OF HOW THEY THINK AND THEIR PEERS. THESE ARE THE RISK FACTORS THAT CONTRIBUTE COMING BACK INTO THE JUSTICE SYSTEM.
JOSE: WHY IS THE PROGRAM FOCUSED ON MINORITY AND DISADVANTAGED YOUTH?
DAWN NOGGLE: WE KNOW DUE TO HEALTH CARE DISPARITIES THERE ARE PEOPLE IN GENERAL WHO ARE NOT GETTING THE SAME LEVEL OF HEALTH CARE BECAUSE THEY ARE NOT PARTICIPATING IN THE SYSTEM. IT IS TO IDENTIFY THAT POPULATION. WE KNOW THERE IS A NUMBER OF PEOPLE THAT ARE MINORITY THAT GET INCARCERATED.
JOSE: TALK ABOUT THE SERVICES.
DAWN NOGGLE: MARICOPA INTEGRATIVE HEALTH IS CREATING THAT MEDICAL HOME WITH THE COMPREHENSIVE MEDICAL BEHAVIORAL SUBSTANCE ABUSE PACKAGE PEOPLE NEED. THEY'RE REALLY THE HUB OF THIS. IN ADDITION THERE ARE A NUMBER OF OTHER AGENCIES. IT IS A MARICOPA COUNTY GRANT NOT JUST PHOENIX. WE HAVE CORRECTIONAL SERVICES, HEALTH CARE INTEGRATION, WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT, HUMAN SERVICE WHICH DOES PROVIDE WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT IN ASSISTING YOUNG PEOPLE TO
JOSE: YOU TRY TO FIND THEM JOBS?
DAWN NOGGLE: YUP. AND THE GOAL WILL BE TO MAKE SURE THIS POPULATION HAS ADEQUATE HOUSING.
JOSE: CAN THEY BE IN THE PROGRAM FOR THE ENTIRE FIVE YEARS?
DAWN NOGGLE: THEY CAN. MARICOPA PROBATION IS ONE OF THE PARTNERS IN THIS I SHOULD HAVE ADDED. THE GOAL WITH HEALTH CARE IS IF YOU PROVIDE SERVICES, IF PEOPLE ARE LITERATE ABOUT HEALTHCARE AND UNDERSTAND WHAT HEALTH CARE SERVICES ARE AVAILABLE, HOW TO BE ABLE TO REACH AND ATTAIN THE SERVICES AND IF THEY UNDERSTAND THEIR HEALTH THEY ARE GOING TO SEEK THE SERVICES OUT BEFORE THEY ARE IN CRISIS OR HAVE TO GO FOR MORE EXPENSIVE SERVICES LIKE THE EMERGENCY ROOM.
JOSE: THERE ARE THOUSANDS THAT MIGHT QUALIFY. IS THIS THE NATURE OF A PILOT PROGRAM?
DAWN NOGGLE: YEAH, I THINK IT IS UNIQUE AND WONDERFUL THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES IS LOOKING AT THIS. THIS REAL LINK MODEL IS WHAT WE THINK, THOSE OF US WORKING IN HEALTH CARE AND THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM, WE KNOW THIS IS THE MODEL THAT HAS THE CHANCE TO HELP PEOPLE GET ESTABLISHED AND TO BE ABLE TO UTILIZE HEALTH SERVICES WISELY AND TO STAY OUT OF THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM.
JOSE: ONE LAST QUESTION. HOW QUICKLY CAN WE SEE RESULTS TO KNOW IF IT IS WORKING OR NOT?
DAWN NOGGLE: IF WE CAN SEE WITHIN A YEAR LESS PEOPLE RETURNING TO JAIL AND LESS UTILIZATION OF THE EMERGENCY ROOM WE KNOW. WE WILL KNOW AUTOMATICALLY IF PEOPLE GET CONNECTED TO SERVICES AND THEY STAY CONNECTED. WE WILL KNOW IF PEOPLE GET JOBS. IT IS GOING TO BE THE ONE YEAR MARK WHERE WE WILL SEE PEOPLE NO LONGER RETURNING TO JAIL WITH THE SAME RECIDIVISM RATES.
JOSE: THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR COMING ON HORIZONTE TO TALK ABOUT IT.
DAWN NOGGLE: YOU ARE VERY WELCOME. THANK YOU.
