[From Our Partners] The NYC Health Justice Network Recidivism Evaluation Study
The New York City Health Justice Network (NYC HJN) is an innovative health service delivery program for individuals returning from incarceration, funded by the Criminal Justice Investment Initiative (CJII). NYC HJN provides individuals recently released from jail and prison with peer support from community health workers (CHW) with lived experience of successful reentry from the criminal legal system, who can help participants access integrated primary care and social services. As an inter-sectoral strategy to improve community health and well-being, NYC HJN aims to reduce the likelihood of contact with the criminal legal system by addressing a wide range of participant health needs—including support with health-related services like health insurance, primary care, dental care, mental and behavioral health. It also connects participants with social services, including assistance with employment, housing, food security, obtaining vital documents, and legal support. CHWs provide social emotional support and serve as critical advocates who help clients navigate the healthcare system and wide range of social service organizations often needed during the period of reentry to the community after incarceration.
This mid-evaluation report, conducted by the NYU-CUNY Prevention Research Center with oversight from CUNY ISLG, provides a summary of the NYC HJN program implementation to date, including characteristics of participants and their engagement in the program. Key findings to date show that NYC HJN serves populations released from both jail and prison incarceration who are predominantly Black or Latino/a and who experience substantial health, social, and economic vulnerability, indicated by high levels of healthcare service needs, unemployment, and unstable housing. Overall, program participants show a high level of participation in the program and engagement with CHWs, demonstrating the perceived benefit of holistic reentry programs such as NYC HJN organized around key community resources and embedded community health workers.
See our blog for a look at how the program operates.