Why Do We Need Telehealth in Correctional Facilities, Jails, and Prisons?
Telehealth in correctional facilities keeps guards and medical personnel safe, helps minimize the costs of transporting them to healthcare facilities and provides prisoners with timely and safe access to medical care. Let’s take a closer look at each of the benefits.
Security of guards, medical personnel, and local community
Every month about 45,000 jail inmates leave their prisons and interact with the public to receive healthcare. Although rare, several jail inmates manage to escape or attack their guards and medical staff. The use of audiovisual communication allows prisoners to remain on the premises of the correctional facility and eliminate the likelihood of an escape or an attack.
Lower costs
As prisoners age while in prison, more medical problems occur. The medical problems result in increased healthcare costs for the correctional facility. Also, correctional facilities in remote locations can lead to an increase in travel costs for healthcare providers.
Provide quality care
Prisoners have higher rates of medical problems than the general population, like high blood pressure, asthma, and other chronic medical conditions. Telehealth can be used to help manage health care and improve outcomes in correctional facilities. Telehealth technology facilitates communication between hospitals and primary healthcare units in prisons and ongoing training of primary care specialists. It results in better on-site medical care and improves outcomes.