Health Justice Lab

Transitions Clinic Network: Post Incarceration Addiction Treatment, Healthcare, and Social Support (TCN PATHS)

The objective of TCN PATHS is to assess whether follow-up care in the Transitions Clinic Network (TCN), which provides OUD treatment and enhanced primary care for people released from incarceration improves key measures in the opioid treatment cascade after release from jail. TCN programs are unique in that primary care is provided in teams which include a community health worker with a history of incarceration and attend to social needs such as housing, food insecurity and criminal legal system contact in addition with medical needs.

Role of Sleep Deficiency and Environment on Medications for OUD (MOUD) Treatment Retention among People Recently Released from Jail

Supplement to Dr. Wang’s HEAL grant from NIDA Transitions Clinic Network: Post Incarceration Addiction Treatment, Healthcare, and Social Support (TCN PATHS). This supplement will examine the association between sleep deficiency and OUD treatment retention in a sample of people receiving MOUD who were recently released from jail and explore sleep environment post-release as a potential mediator.

JUSTice Involved Individuals Study of Cardiovascular Disease Epidemiolog (JUSTICE)

The overall objective of this study is to design the first longitudinal observational study of individuals released from a correctional facility to understand the epidemiology of cardiovascular disease risk factors and modifiable mediators of CVD risk factor control and is the first step toward attainment of our long-term goal to reduce morbidity and mortality among individuals with a history of incarceration and CVD risk factors. The central hypothesis of this study is that there are population-specific risk factors that exacerbate poor control of traditional CVD risk factors which contribute to the observed increase in CVD morbidity and mortality upon release.

Building Resilient Neighborhoods and Positive Social Networks to Prevent Gun Violence

The overall objective of this study is to identify data-driven targets and asset-based strategies for interventions to mitigate the effects of gun violence in New Haven, CT and is the next step toward attainment of our long-term goal to develop, in partnership with community members, an approach to creating effective, durable, and strengths-based interventions to mitigate the impacts of gun violence that can be scaled and tailored to violence-endemic communities across the country. The central hypothesis of this study is that the novel application of network science and a disaster preparedness framework to build community resilience will allow community members to design an intervention to mitigate the impacts of gun violence.

Incarceration and Cancer-Related Outcomes (ICRO)  

The overall objective of ICRO is to assess the impact of incarceration on disparities in cancer detection, quality of treatment, and survival. The central hypothesis of Incarceration and Cancer-Related Outcomes (ICRO) study is that incarceration contributes to racial and socioeconomic disparities in cancer detection, quality of treatment, mortality. We will use a mixed-methods approach to address this hypothesis, by creating a comprehensive linkage of  a  tumor  registry, correctional  system data, and state vital statistics supplemented with in-depth interviews of individuals diagnosed with cancer.  

The COVID-19 Testing and Prevention in Correctional Settings study aims to increase the reach, access, uptake, and impact of COVID-19 testing and mitigate the impact of COVID-19 among incarcerated people and staff. It does so by:

1. Identifying ethical concerns and potential solutions for COVID-19 testing and vaccine strategies in correctional facilities using a community-engaged strategy, and
2. Characterizing baseline COVID-19 incidence, disease progression and related-outcomes among incarcerated individuals and correctional staff.