AUTHOR=Williams Karmen S. , Singh Marianna J. , Elumn Johanna E. , Threats Megan , Sha Yongjie , McCall Terika , Wang Karen , Massey Bria , Peng Mary L. , Wiley Kevin TITLE=Enhancing healthcare accessibility through telehealth for justice impacted individuals JOURNAL=Frontiers in Public Health VOLUME=12 YEAR=2024 URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/public-health/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2024.1401950 DOI=10.3389/fpubh.2024.1401950 ISSN=2296-2565 ABSTRACT=

Telehealth is a great tool that makes accessing healthcare easier for those incarcerated and can help with reentry into the the community. Justice impacted individuals face many hardships including adverse health outcomes which can be mitigated through access to telehealth services and providers. During the federally recognized COVID-19 pandemic the need for accessible healthcare was exacerbated and telehealth use surged. While access to telehealth should be considered a necessity, there are many challenges and barriers for justice impacted individuals to be able to utilize this service. This perspective examines aspects of accessibility, pandemic, policy, digital tools, and ethical and social considerations of telehealth in correctional facilities. Carceral facilities should continue to innovate and invest in telehealth to revolutionize healthcare delivery, and improve health outcomes for justice impacted individuals.