Convenings

After the passage of the Affordable Care Act and its impact on justice involved individuals began to be understood, COCHS with other organizations began to facilitate working groups and hold conferences in Washington D.C.. Criminal justice professionals, policy makers, and healthcare providers seldomly if ever interacted. These conferences gave people from different backgrounds a forum to discuss how they could work together to address healthcare issues that contributed to people cycling through the criminal justice system and how health reform could help reduce this cycle.
Senator Stabenow
Senator Debbie Stabenow, Michigan
Co-Sponsor of the Excellence Act
On December 8, 2015, in Washington D.C., COCHS and The National Council for Behavioral Health held Opportunities and Intersections: The Health Reform, The Excellence Act and Criminal Justice Reform. Keynote speakers were speakers Debbie Stabenow of Michigan (Co-Sponsor of the Excellence Act) and Roy Austin, Deputy Assistant to the President for the Office of Urban Affairs, Justice and Opportunity. A recording of the event is available here.
Tony West, Assistant Attorney General
Tony West
United States Assistant Attorney General
On April 3, 2014, in Washington D.C., COCHS and Health Affairs held Advancing New Opportunities: Health Reform and Criminal Justice. Keynote speakers at the conference included former United States Assistant Attorney General, Tony West and Michael Bottecelli, Director of National Drug Control Policy at the White House under President Obama. In March of 2014, Health Affairs, working with COCHS, published its first-ever cluster of articles on health and healthcare for the jail-involved, with special attention to the implications of Medicaid expansion. A recording of the event is available here along with the articles published in Health Affairs.
Gary Puckrein
Gary Puckrein
National Minority Quality Forum
On December 6, 2012, in Washington DC, COCHS, the National Minority Quality Forum (NMQF) and The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation held Addressing Health Disparities Among the Racial and Ethnic Minority Populations in Jails. The participants included leaders from public safety, community health, health plans, racial and ethnic advocacy groups, philanthropy, and all levels of government to explore the intersection of health reform and criminal justice. A recording of the event is available here.
Judy Murphy
Judy Murphy
Office of National Coordinator for Health IT
On April 3, 2012, in Washington DC, COCHS with support from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and The Public Welfare Foundation held Health Reform and Criminal Justice: Integrating Jails into Health Information Exchanges. The conference focused attention on the potential of health information exchange in conjunction with that Afordable Care Act to facilitate electronic continuity of care between jails and the communities in which they reside. A recording of the event is available here along with documents released in association with this event.
Gary Puckrein
Laurie Robinson
United States Assistant Attorney General
On November 17, 2010, COCHS with support from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation held Exploring Health Reform and Criminal Justice: Rethinking the Connection between Jails and Community Health. The conferenced focused attention on the potential opportunities that the Affordable Care Act (ACA) may create for communities to better serve the physical and behavioral health care needs of childless adults who will be newly eligible for Medicaid in 2014 and its impact of people cycling through the criminal justice system. The keynote speaker for the conference was former United States Assistant Attorney General, Laurie Robison. A recording of the event is available here along with the issue papers written for the conference.