Community Health Care Workers from the Carceral Landscape

Training incarcerated individuals as community health workers to improve health information access

Full Project Name:Community Health Care Workers from the Carceral LandscapePrimary Community Organization:The CommunityPrimary Academic Partner:Laura Hawks, MD, MPH, MedicineAward Amount:$248,866

Award Date

July2024

Project Duration:24 months

Project Summary:

Incarcerated individuals face higher rates of substance use disorders, mental illnesses, and chronic diseases compared to the general population. In Wisconsin, these issues are made more challenging by significant racial disparities in incarceration rates.

This project aims to train incarcerated individuals in Wisconsin as community health workers (CHWs) to build health-related skills and improve their employability post-release. By leveraging the "prep-entry" period before release, the project will provide tailored CHW training and ongoing support to these individuals, helping them serve as health resources in prison and in their communities after release.

The initiative is expected to enhance self-care practices and health awareness among the incarcerated population, counteract health misinformation, and promote positive health behaviors within their communities as they reintegrate.

Community partners: Milwaukee AHEC, Generation of Excellence Trendsetters, and Men Mending Men

Project Updates:

Transitioned the CHW training model from a correspondence-course model to an in-person training model which has helped to deepen the relationships with the Department of Corrections (DOC), facility staff and leadership, instructors and guest speakers, and program participants
Expanded enrollment from two facilities to three and from 10 to 36 total students
Began development of pathways for CHW program graduates to access CHW jobs, including post-release employment opportunities for those who have completed the training
Engaged in dissemination activities to promote initial project findings and curriculum development by presenting at The American Consortium of Criminal Justice and Health and the National Conference for Higher Education in Prison