“Our commonality is our past:” a qualitative analysis of re-entry community health workers’ meaningful experiences

Abstract

Background Re-entry community health workers (CHWs) are individuals who connect diverse community residents at risk for chronic health issues such as Hepatitis C virus and cardiovascular disease with post-prison healthcare and re-entry services. While the utilization of CHWs has been documented in other marginalized populations, there is little knowledge surrounding the work of re-entry CHWs with individuals released from incarceration. Specifically, CHWs’ experiences and perceptions of the uniqueness of their efforts to link individuals to healthcare have not been documented systematically. This study explored what is meaningful to formerly incarcerated CHWs as they work with released individuals. Methods The authors conducted a qualitative thematic analysis of twelve meaningful experiences written by re-entry CHWs employed by the Transitions Clinic Network who attended a CHW training program during a conference in San Francisco, CA. Study participants were encouraged to recount meaningful CHW experiences and motivations for working with re-entry populations in a manner consistent with journal-based qualitative analysis techniques. Narratives were coded using an iterative process and subsequently organized according to themes in ATLAS.ti. Study personnel came to consensus with coding and major themes. Results The narratives highlighted thought processes and meaning related to re-entry CHWs’ work helping patients navigate complex social services for successful re-integration. Six major themes emerged from the analysis: advocacy and support, empathy relating to a personal history of incarceration, giving back, professional satisfaction and responsibilities, resiliency and educational advancement, and experiences of social inequities related to race. Re-entry CHWs described former incarceration, employment, and social justice as sources of meaning for assisting justice-involved individuals receive effective, efficient, and high-quality healthcare. Conclusions Health clinics for individuals released from incarceration provide a unique setting that links high risk patients to needed care and professionalizes career opportunities for formerly incarcerated re-entry CHWs. The commonality of past correctional involvement is a strong indicator of the meaning and perceived effectiveness re-entry CHWs find in working with individuals leaving prison. Expansion of reimbursable visits with re-entry CHWs in transitions clinics designed for re-entering individuals is worthy of further consideration.

Mental health therapists’ perceptions of their readiness to address the intersection of intimate partner violence and suicide

“…Several coauthors participated in the coding process and have prior qualitative analysis experience (Bedell, Wilson, White, & Morse, 2015;Cerulli, Poleshuck, Raimondi, Veale, & Chin, 2012;Cerulli et al, 2015;Morse et al, 2014); the multidisciplinary analytic team included two graduate-level research staff in addition to two of the three facilitators.…”

“…Several coauthors participated in the coding process and have prior qualitative analysis experience (Bedell, Wilson, White, & Morse, ; Cerulli, Poleshuck, Raimondi, Veale, & Chin, ; Cerulli et al, ; Morse et al, ); the multidisciplinary analytic team included two graduate‐level research staff in addition to two of the three facilitators. To establish coding standards, all coders reviewed the first focus group transcript independently and subsequently came to consensus on final categories.…”

Does a Primary Health Clinic for Formerly Incarcerated Women Increase Linkage to Care?

“…Other research supports the use of CHWs and navigators in additional populations with multiple medical conditions (Bedell, Wilson, White, & Morse, 2015; Findley, Matos, Hicks, Chang, & Reich, 2014). Yet CHWs are generally not a billable service in the United States and are not widely available despite evidence of effectiveness.…”

“…Formerly incarcerated community health workers (CHWs) provide support and healthcare management, drawing from shared experiences (Wang et al, 2012; Bedell, Wilson, White, & Morse, 2015; Lebel, Richie & Maruna, 2014). WISH-TC is a TCN site and primary care clinic within a local academic medical center’s Department of Psychiatry and has additional unique qualities.…”

Outcomes among pregnant recently incarcerated women attending a reentry transitions clinic

“…WISH-TC is part of a national initiative, the Transitions Clinic Network (TCN), which intends to address disproportionally high morbidity and mortality rates among recently released individuals with specialized clinics, peer community health workers for navigation and support, and expedited postrelease appointments (Bedell, Wilson, White, & Morse, 2015;Binswanger et al, 2007;Fox et al, 2014;Wang et al, 2010Wang et al, , 2012. WISH-TC is part of a national initiative, the Transitions Clinic Network (TCN), which intends to address disproportionally high morbidity and mortality rates among recently released individuals with specialized clinics, peer community health workers for navigation and support, and expedited postrelease appointments (Bedell, Wilson, White, & Morse, 2015;Binswanger et al, 2007;Fox et al, 2014;Wang et al, 2010Wang et al, , 2012.…”