Bronx Reentry Working Group
The Bronx Reentry Working Group (“Working Group”) is committed to building a coalition of community-based organizations, health services providers, correctional staff, and formerly incarcerated residents to address the healthcare needs of formerly incarcerated community members.
About You
About You
First Name
Mandolin
Last Name
Restivo
Organization
Center for Court Innovation/Bronx Community Solutions
Country
United States, NY, New York County
About Your Organization
Organization Name
Center for Court Innovation/Bronx Community Solutions
Organization Website
Organization Phone
(646) 386-3100
Organization Address
520 Eighth Avenue, 18th Floor
Organization Country
United States, NY, New York County
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Your idea
Name Your Project
Bronx Reentry Working Group
Country your work focuses on
United States, NY, Bronx County
Describe Your Idea
The Bronx Reentry Working Group (“Working Group”) is committed to building a coalition of community-based organizations, health services providers, correctional staff, and formerly incarcerated residents to address the healthcare needs of formerly incarcerated community members.
Website URL
Innovation
What makes your idea unique?
To date, there has not been a coordinated and comprehensive effort by community stakeholders and service providers to address the health needs of formerly incarcerated residents in the Bronx. Bringing together criminal justice stakeholders and healthcare providers, the Working Group’s aim is to develop a comprehensive strategy to connect formerly incarcerated residents to healthcare and service programs. The Working Group defines health holistically and plans to address both treatment and preventative care, including mental health care. Through its efforts, the Working Group has the potential to create long-term sustainable change by increasing the accessibility of services for formerly incarcerated Bronx residents.
The Working Group is collaboration between Bronx Community Solutions, a project of the Center for Court Innovation, and Dr. Pamela Valera of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. Bronx Community Solutions is borough-wide alternative to incarceration program that targets non-violent low-level offenders sentenced at the Bronx Criminal Court through a combination of punishment (community service) and help (drug treatment, job training, counseling). The Center for Court Innovation is a New York-based nonprofit think tank that helps courts and criminal justice agencies aid victims, reduce crime and improve public trust in the justice system. The Working Group is co-chaired by Dr. Valera, a Bronx resident and social work researcher at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, and Mandolin Restivo, Deputy Project Director of Bronx Community Solutions.
Do you have a patent for this idea?
No
Impact
This Entry is about (Issues)
What impact have you had?
Since its inception in June 2010, the Working Group has established partnerships with the New York City Police Department, the New York City Fire Department, Montefiore Hospital, and Albert Einstein College of Medicine. Additionally, the Working Group is partnering with programs that serve residents affected by such issues as HIV/AIDS, substance abuse, homelessness, and incarceration. Programs include the Bronx Recovery Center, Healthy People, the Osborne Association, and Care for the Homeless. This growing network of organizations is committed to addressing both the health and competing needs (e.g., securing housing, food, and employment) of formerly incarcerated community residents. Bringing together a diverse group of stakeholders, including criminal justice system players, medical institutions, and service providers that work with underserved populations is a major achievement in the Bronx. The Working Group plans to begin changing the nature of coordinated service provision in the Bronx by first gaining a better understanding of the needs of its residents. To this end, the Working Group will conduct a detailed community assessment to identify both existing resources and gaps in services for formerly incarcerated community members. The Working Group has already held two meetings to discuss goals and strategies to forge additional partnerships.
Problem
The Working Group will seek to address three inter-related problems: 1) disparities in access to health care faced by formerly incarcerated individuals returning to the Bronx; 2) looming healthcare funding cuts in the New York State budget; and 3) plans to close a local jail facility, which would result in an influx of formerly incarcerated individuals returning to the Bronx. Several studies have demonstrated that incarceration has deleterious effects on the health status of not only the individuals who are incarcerated, but also their families, and the communities to which they return. Currently, 128,313 former inmates live in the Bronx, and as many as 12 per 1,000 residents are newly released each year. These individuals are returning to a community already facing numerous health challenges – obesity; food insecurity; diabetes; and high HIV/STI infection rates, including 29,079 residents living with AIDS. In fact, the Bronx is ranked as the unhealthiest of New York State’s 62 counties.
Actions
The Working Group will work to ensure its success by conducting a community-wide assessment before initiating a strategy to ensure that formerly incarcerated Bronx residents have adequate access to health and social services.
Lack of political will on the part of policy-makers might prevent success; to mitigate this concern, the Working Group has informed Congresswoman Vanessa Gibson of its efforts, and she has pledged her support. Additionally, the Working Group’s community partners are continuing to reach out to local elected officials and community leaders to bring about awareness of these issues and ensure buy-in for future policy changes.
Results
The Working Group’s community assessment will result in a comprehensive document describing both available community resources and service gaps in the Bronx. Following the community assessment, the Working Group plans to: 1) create a printed and web-based directory of resources for formerly incarcerated individuals available in both English and Spanish; 2) convene a day-long community forum to connect formerly incarcerated residents and health and mental health providers; 3) create a local policy guidelines document focused on strategies for better serving the Bronx’s formerly incarcerated residents; and 4) working with partners, policy makers, and formerly incarcerated residents, develop a community preparedness strategy to respond to the increased volume of individuals returning to the community after incarceration.
What will it take for your project to be successful over the next three years? Please address each year separately, if possible.
By forming the Bronx Reentry Working Group, its members have recognized that addressing the health concerns of formerly incarcerated residents is vital to the community’s health. For the Bronx Reentry Working Group to be successful, the following steps will be taken over the next three years:
Year 1: The Working Group plans to conduct a community assessment to identify the needs of formerly incarcerated Bronx residents and the available resources in the community for this population. As part of this assessment, the Working Group will conduct focus groups with the target population to document the health problems experienced by formerly incarcerated Bronx residents. The Working Group also plans to collect information about available community resources for the production of a print and web-based reentry resource directory.
Year 2: Working Group members will meet with policy makers to discuss the findings of its community assessment. The Working Group will also schedule a community forum to connect local healthcare and service providers and formerly incarcerated community residents. This forum will provide local stakeholders with the opportunity to network and discuss strategies to address the health issues faced by formerly incarcerated community members. At the same time, the Working Group will apply for additional funding to develop a community preparedness plan.
Year 3: The Working Group will continue to expand service linkages and meet regularly with policy-makers to develop local policy initiatives. The Working Group also plans to train formerly incarcerated community members to serve as peer-health educators capable of assisting more-recently released community members not already connected to healthcare services.
What would prevent your project from being a success?
The primary challenge facing the Working Group is working with a transient population that has long been underserved and, as a result, is often distrustful of “the system”, whether justice system players or representatives of service agencies. Additional challenges include maintaining up-to-date knowledge of changes to health insurance coverage, including Medicaid, and maximizing limited resources to serve community members who are mentally ill or have substance abuse issues. To meet these challenges, Working Group members and partners will draw on their experience serving the Bronx community. Moreover, The Center for Court Innovation has enjoyed success working with reentry issues in similar communities and has conducted a similar needs assessment in Upper Manhattan, producing a reentry resource directory and improving access to healthcare services for the formerly incarcerated residents of that community.
How many people will your project serve annually?
More than 10,000
What is the average monthly household income in your target community, in US Dollars?
$100 ‐ 1000
Does your project seek to have an impact on public policy?
Yes
Sustainability
What stage is your project in?
Operating for less than a year
Is your organization a
Non‐profit/NGO/citizen sector organization
Is your initiative connected to an established organization?
Yes
If yes, provide organization name.
Center for Court Innovation
How long has this organization been operating?
More than 5 years
Does your organization have a Board of Directors or an Advisory Board?
Yes
Does your organization have a non-monetary partnerships with NGOs?
No
Does your organization have a non-monetary partnerships with businesses?
No
Does your organization have a non-monetary partnerships with government?
No
Please tell us more about how these partnerships are critical to the success of your innovation.
The Working Group is the first coalition to focus on identifying community resources that address the healthcare needs of formerly incarcerated Bronx residents. The partnerships created through the Working Group are integral to the success of this initiative. The efforts of the Working Group will also prepare the local public health workforce to meet the challenges raised by the closure of several prison facilities.
What are the three most important actions needed to grow your initiative or organization?
The 3 major important action plans that we need to undertake to grow the Bronx Reentry Working group include the following:
1. The Working Group must continue to broaden its coalition by forging additional community partnerships. A request has recently been sent to the New York City Department of Probation. As most individuals leaving prison spend some period of time on probation, the Department of Probation would be a valuable Working Group partner. Working Group members are confident that the Department of Probation will join the coalition. The Working Group is also actively seeking other Bronx-based healthcare partners.
2. The Working Group will need to obtain additional funding. Although this project will require a low level of funding, additional funding will be necessary to create the reentry resource directory, to hold the community forum, and to provide supplies for Working Group meetings. The Working Group anticipates being in a stronger position to leverage operating funds once the community assessment has been completed, analyzed, and disseminated.
3. The Working Group will complete a community needs assessment. All working group efforts will be guided by the needs identified during this process.
Following completion of the community assessment, the Working Group plans to: 1) develop an organizational and strategic plan to address the unmet needs of formerly incarcerated community members; 2) publish a comprehensive directory of all Bronx service providers that are available to address needs of these community members; and 3) work closely with policy makers to develop local initiatives that better serve this population.
The Story
What was the defining moment that you led to this innovation?
Dr. Pamela Valera, co-chair of the Bronx Reentry Working Group, moved to the Bronx in 2007. She immediately noticed that Bronx residents, young and old alike, were dealing with various chronic illnesses, including Type-2 diabetes, cancer, and HIV/AIDS, among others, at a higher rate than elsewhere in New York City. As Dr. Valera spoke with numerous community members, she came to understand that many shared similar life circumstances; most importantly, many had spent time in prison or jail. Each time these residents returned to the community, it became increasingly difficult to secure employment, receive adequate health services, and connect with healthy networks. Dr. Valera found that many of these residents welcomed an opportunity to change their situation but found it difficult to do so.
As an educator and social work researcher committed to social and economic justice, it was impossible for Dr. Valera to ignore these conditions. She was left with numerous questions: Where do inmates who return to the Bronx go to seek health services? With the closing of the half way house, where will these people live? Why are there elderly residents lurking around the trashcans looking for plastic bottles and cans? Why are there so many young adults in wheel chairs as a result of amputations? Dr. Valera’s goal was to answer these questions and to provide practical solutions.
Dr. Valera discovered that Bronx Community Solutions was interested in working with the community’s formerly incarcerated population, and she was invited to speak at a quarterly meeting of Bronx Community Solutions’ Community Advisory Board. At that meeting, Dr. Valera proposed the establishment of a working group to address the healthcare and competing needs of formerly incarcerated community members. Following the meeting, the Bronx Reentry Working Group was established. To date, the Working Group has met twice to establish goals and build a coalition of community providers, criminal justice system stakeholders, and community members.
Tell us about the social innovator behind this idea.
Dr. Pamela Valera was raised in South Central Los Angeles, where she was exposed to community violence at a very young age. Dr. Valera has been directly impacted by criminal justice system; her uncle was incarcerated and was infected by HIV after being released from jail. He died of AIDS shortly after his release. Another family member, her cousin, was sexually assaulted in a local jail and is now HIV-positive.
Dr. Valera has dedicated her career to social and economic justice. She received her BA in Psychology from the University of San Francisco, and completed an internship at the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office as a victim advocate. She received her Masters in Social Work from the University of Michigan, where she was trained in social/policy evaluation and community social systems, and then completed her PhD in Social Work at the University of South Carolina. Dr. Valera has also received postdoctoral training in HIV Prevention from Columbia University and has published papers investigating of HIV/AIDS and substance abuse among incarcerated young adults; negotiating safety among female defendants; healthy eating among women of color; and HIV prevention among Black men who have sexual relationships with other men. Dr. Valera is also a member of Collaborative Community Board of Providers, Consumers, and Researchers for HIV Prevention Research at Columbia University.
Mandolin Restivo, Deputy Project Director of Bronx Community Solutions, has also had first-hand experience with the criminal justice system. Her father was spent time in New Jersey jails and prisons while he simultaneously battled drug addiction. Lack of adequate drug treatment programs in the jails and prisons only intensified his addiction, and he passed away from drug-related complications. Ms. Restivo has been active in prison reform in her New Jersey community, successfully working with a community committee to expand services for women detained in the Bergen County Jail.
Prior to joining Bronx Community Solutions, Ms. Restivo worked in higher education for 10 years as both a Women’s Center Director and Director of Student Development. She has worked with community and law enforcement partners to develop comprehensive services for victims of sexual assault, domestic violence, and stalking on college campuses. Ms. Restivo has a B.A. in Sociology and a Masters of Arts in Liberal Studies. In addition to role at Bronx Community Solutions, Ms. Restivo teaches as an adjunct professor of women’s studies at Ramapo College of New Jersey.
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 | 93 weeks agoPeter Napoli updated this Competition Entry. |
| 93 weeks agoPeter Napoli submitted this idea. |
