A SAMHSA sponsored webinar, developed under contract by the National Association of State Mental Health Program Directors and presented by the National Disability Rights Network (NDRN) called “Solutions to Improving Access to Care for Individuals with Serious Mental Illness in Prisons and Jails during the COVID-19 pandemic”.
The COVID-19 pandemic has unfortunately found a fertile ground in congregate facilities throughout the United States, including in prisons and jails. With individuals with serious mental illness making up a disproportionate percentage of prisoners, the impact of the COVID-19 response on access to mental health treatment, as well as ability to access treatment upon release, has had serious consequences. The first part of the webinar will discuss the impact COVID-19 has had in prisons and jails, including access to treatment for those with a serious mental illness as well as accessing treatment services upon release in the community. The second part of the webinar will discuss different ideas to address these barriers to treatment while in prison or accessing treatment upon release.
Speakers:
Stuart (Stu) Simms, Partner, Brown, Goldstein and Levy
Philip Fornaci, Staff Attorney, NDRN
