Browsing by Author "Diaz, Francisco"
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Item Open Access Correlates of Preincarceration Health Care Use Among Women and Men in Jail.(Journal of correctional health care : the official journal of the National Commission on Correctional Health Care, 2015-07) Ramaswamy, Megha; Diaz, Francisco; Pankey, Tyson; Hunt, Suzanne L; Park, Andrew; Kelly, Patricia JAlthough women and men in jails bear a burden of health problems, little is known about factors associated with their health care use. We conducted a cross-sectional survey of preincarceration health care use with 596 jail inmates. Descriptive statistics and correlates of participants' health care use were assessed. A year before incarceration, 54% of participants used an emergency room, 24% were hospitalized, and 39% used primary care. Correlates of health care use included gender, health insurance status, and drug dependence. For participants without mental health problems, use was associated with living in neighborhoods where a higher percentage of residents did not complete high school. Findings suggest individual and community factors that can be targeted by reentry programs to improve health care use after jail.