Access to Primary Care for Persons Recently Released From Prison

The Article in Brief

Access to Primary Care for Persons Recently Released From Prison

Ruth Elwood Martin , and colleagues

Background People who have been in prison have high rates of illness and death, particularly at the time of release from prison. In the United States, lack of health insurance is a significant barrier to primary care access after release from prison, but this should not be a barrier in Canada, which has a universal health care system. This study sets out to determine whether a history of recent release from prison affects access to primary care in Canada.

What This Study Found A history of recent imprisonment can affect an individual's access to primary care in Canada. Researchers phoned to request an initial appointment with all family physicians in British Columbia, Canada accepting new patients (n = 339). Participants were assigned patient scenarios: male or female recently released from prison and male or female control group. Those who presented as having recently been released from prison were significantly less likely than controls to be offered an initial appointment with a primary care physician. The likelihood of obtaining an appointment was almost two times greater for controls compared to those who reported a recent prison history; 43 percent of those reporting recent release from prison obtained an appointment compared to 84 percent of controls. There was no difference in the likelihood of obtaining an appointment between male and female callers who reported recent release.

Implications

• Even in the context of a universal health care system, recent imprisonment may be a barrier to access to primary care, the authors state. They call for policies and programs to support people in gaining access to health care during the challenging transition from prison to the community.