CCHP News

CCHP Celebrates 15 Years: Break Out the Crystal!

By Paula J. Hancock, MEd

This spring, more than 100 correctional health professionals will participate in the CCHP exam at test sites in Nevada, North Carolina, Oregon and Wisconsin. These individuals, like those who took the first exam 15 years ago, hope to distinguish themselves as professionals who have the knowledge expected of leaders working in the field of correctional health care.

Getting Started
In the early 1970s, when researchers began working on the American Medical Association’s Jail Project, they found that many of the people providing health care in our nation’s jails were ill-equipped and ill-trained for the job. Later, however, the correctional health care profession experienced tremendous growth and increased professionalism. Health care providers were doing amazing things and making great strides in improving the quality of care in jails, prisons and juvenile facilities.

At the time, there was no mechanism to recognize these individuals for their accomplishments or their professionalism. Guided by an ad hoc committee of the NCCHC board, the Certified Correctional Health Professional program was launched to fill this void. The response was immediate and enthusiastic, with more than 200 individuals taking the first exam in November 1990.

“There are too few incentives for persons to work in the institutional environment, and the shot in the arm that the CCHP program offered was genius in the making,” said Ernest Williams, MD, MPH, CCHP, medical director of Orange County (CA) Corrections. “However, too few of us avail ourselves of this opportunity to demonstrate to our peers that we have been determined to be proficient, accomplished and knowledgeable by a well-known and established national organization.”

Ongoing Development
Over the years, the Board of Trustees has worked to be responsive to the needs of and changes in the correctional health care field. Greater interest in correctional health care from academia, more clinical research trials, and attention from the public health sector and federal agencies have contributed to changing attitudes toward the correctional health community.

“Substantial progress has been made in both the image and the reality of the correctional health profession due to the CCHP program,” said Joanne I. Dorman, RN, CCHP-A, accreditation consultant for the UMass Correctional Health Program.  “Working with clients who are under-served and have numerous unmet needs, it is evident that this program serves not only the client and the correctional health professional, but also the community as a whole.”

One outcome of the increased attention to the field is better and more opportunities to participate in educational activities focused on correctional health care issues. These opportunities led to new recertification requirements for annual continuing education in correctional health activities. These requirements  ensure that CCHPs are maintaining and enhancing the knowledge and skills they demonstrated on the exam.

Increased professionalism, opportunities and respect has inevitably given rise to leaders who have excelled and made significant contributions to the field. These individuals are recognized by the Advanced CCHP program, a component that the program founders envisioned from the start. Since 1993, the most elite in our field have pursued and attained Advanced Certification. It is no surprise that many of the CCHP-As are also members of the original class of CCHPs.

One of these is Judith Hudson, RN, CCHP-A, assistant division director of health services, Missouri Department of Corrections. “The certification program has encouraged our medical professionals to more fully recognize correctional health care as a distinct specialty and to take pride in what they do,” said Hudson. “Our colleagues could get jobs at any health institution in the country but have chosen to care for, in many cases, the least of our brothers. They do not do this for recompense, but rather to make a difference.”

CCHP Today
Today, nearly 2,000 individuals participate in the CCHP program. The program’s impact on the correctional health profession has far exceeded the founders’ expectations.

“I have been surprised by the strength of the collegial atmosphere across disciplines among CCHPs,” said Scott Chavez, PhD, CCHP-A. Chavez was on staff at NCCHC when the program began, has served as a trustee, and is currently its vice president. “The benefit of certification is that it takes you beyond your identified discipline, such as nursing or medicine, and makes you part of a larger profession.”

Many employers and managers now require or give preference to CCHPs for employment, promotion and salary increases. Reflecting this change, the program policies once again changed to reflect the greater value of the CCHP designation. The eligibility critieria were expanded to make it possible for individuals new to the field to become certified. At the same time, the exam moved from an open-book, honor exam to a proctored exam with all new test items.

The generosity and enthusiasm with which CCHPs embraced the new exam administration has been tremendous. Every six months, CCHPs around the country volunteer their time and resources to assist us in bringing the CCHP exam to folks all around the country: from metropolitan centers like Chicago and New York City to remote destinations like Shelby, MT, and Hobbs, NM.

The success of the CCHP program is a direct result of the commitment of CCHPs to improving professionalism in the field. If you or a colleague would like to participate, please visit our Web page for an online application, or contact us at cchp@ncchc.org or (773) 880-1460.

— About the author:  Paula J. Hancock,MEd, is NCCHC's director of professional services.

(This article first appeared in the Winter 2006 issue of CorrectCare.)