Bernard P. Harrison Award of Merit
NCCHC’s highest honor, this award is presented to an individual or group that has demonstrated excellence and service that has advanced the correctional health care field, either through an individual project or a history of service.

Dianne Rechtine, MD, FAAFP, CCHP-A
For distinguished service to the field of correctional health care

Even in “retirement,” Dr. Rechtine labors for the cause of quality health care in corrections, giving generously of her time and talents, which are prodigious. She remains a close ally not only of NCCHC, but also numerous other organizations striving for the same cause.
     Dr. Rechtine honed her skills in primary care as well as administration by working in private practice for two decades. In 1986 she discovered the joys and challenges of correctional medicine when she joined the Florida Department of Corrections as a physician at a prison hospital. Her roles and responsibilities expanded greatly over the next 20 years, as she held numerous executive positions at various facilities and regional offices and the central office. During that period, Florida’s inmate population roughly tripled in number. In the midst of countless budget, staffing and other difficulties, Dr. Rechtine always stood as a staunch advocate for the betterment of inmate health care, and led numerous efforts to that end.
     Furthermore, Dr. Rechtine has always pursued professional growth both for herself and others. Soon after joining the Florida DOC she became involved in organizations such as the American Correctional Health Services Association and the Florida Council on Crime and Delinquency. When the Society of Correctional Physicians and the Academy of Correctional Health Professionals were launched in 1992 and 2000, respectively, she was among their first members. Similarly, she attained the Certified Correctional Health Care Professional and the CCHP-Advanced credentials in the early days of those programs. She has been a physician surveyor for NCCHC’s accreditation program since 1994. In all of these pursuits she has not been a passive member but a doer, a giver, a mentor, a leader.
     Today, Dr. Rechtine keeps an active schedule conducting site surveys and mentoring new physician surveyors. She also shares her knowledge as a professor at Nova Southeastern University College of Osteopathic Medicine, where she nurtures future correctional physicians through a prison rotation for medical students. Another of her passions is to develop correctional physicians through a rigorous two-year fellowship.
     In all of these endeavors and achievements, Dr. Rechtine has embodied the spirit of the Bernard P. Harrison Award of Merit.

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B. Jaye Anno Award of Excellence in Communication
This award pays tribute to innovative, well-executed communications that have had a positive impact on the field of correctional health care, or to individuals for bodies of work.

Robert B. Greifinger, MD
For a body of published works that have advanced the field of correctional health care

Any close observer of correctional health care has encountered the citation Greifinger, R.B. With 25 years of experience in this field, Dr. Greifinger is a renowned expert in health systems, quality improvement and policy. He is in great demand as a consultant, and also is a professor of health and criminal justice. Fortunately for the field at large, he has long been committed to sharing his knowledge in writing. Although the scope of his research and published work is broad, common themes are evident. Together, this body of work has significantly influenced how correctional health care is perceived, how it functions and how efforts are made to improve it. Three works of particular importance are noted here.
     A seminal work was “Correctional Health Care: A Public Health Opportunity,” published in 1993 in the Annals of Internal Medicine. Coauthored by Jordan Glaser, MD, this perspective column drew attention to the high prevalence of disease among inmates and the important public health role that criminal justice systems could play in treating these conditions both behind bars and upon release. The authors argued that correctional health programs need to adhere to national standards such as those of NCCHC, and must be “brought into the mainstream of clinical medicine and public health.”
     A similar focus informed Dr. Greifinger’s work as principal investigator and editor for NCCHC’s landmark study on the Health Status of Soon-toS-Be-Released Inmates. Funded by the National Institute of Justice, the three-year project convened expert panels of researchers, practitioners and scholars in public and correctional health. The 2002 report to Congress alerted policy makers to solid research documenting that tens of thousands of inmates are released every year with undiagnosed or untreated physical and mental illnesses, and that treatment in correctional facilities would be cost-effective. The detailed recommendations guide policy and quality improvement efforts to this day.
     Dr. Greifinger again directed a large group of respected contributors as chief editor of Public Health Behind Bars: From Prisons to Communities (Springer, 2007). The book examines the burden of illness in the prison population, analyzes the impact on public health as prisoners are released, identifies systemic barriers to care and explores how care can be coordinated between correctional and community providers, with a proposed shift to primary care. Recommendations point to health care that is humane for inmates and beneficial to the communities they reenter.
     Today, the forward thinking long championed by Dr. Greifinger has become conventional wisdom, and countless initiatives have been undertaken in keeping with his sage advice.

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Facility of the Year
This prestigious award is presented to one facility selected from among the nearly 500 prisons, jails, and juvenile detention and confinement facilities accredited by NCCHC.

Broward County Sheriff’s Office, Fort Lauderdale, Florida

The five jail facilities that operate within the Broward Sheriff’s Office work together so seamlessly in health care delivery that it was natural to view them as a whole in granting the Facility of the Year Award. The selection committee was impressed with how well the staff consistently demonstrates professionalism, excellent coordination of health services across facilities and a commitment to continuity of services.
     BSO operates three jails and two satellite facilities. In total, the system has an average daily population of about 5,200 and processes more than 66,000 admissions per year, making it the 12th largest local jail system in the United States.
     To manage the health needs of this large volume of inmates, the first step is screening and triage that occurs at several stages before and during the booking process. Inmates identified with chronic conditions are immediately sent to a nurse who contacts outside providers to verify medications, and then to a physician for assessment and follow-up orders. This prevents lapses in necessary medications.
     Mental health care is also handled smoothly, even though different practitioners report to different agencies. One team takes care of the initial assessment, medication management and crisis intervention, while another provides individual and group counseling and continuing therapy. Nevertheless, patient care and medical record keeping are seamless.
     A third area of exemplary coordination relates to intrasystem transfers, which are quite common. Inmates arrive with their medical records and medications, and then are assessed by a nurse who also reviews the records. Twice each day a courier transfers paperwork, such as lab results, consult reports and ordered medications, between facilities.
     There is much more to praise about the jail system and its health services, but perhaps the BSO motto says it best: “We are always ready for company.”

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Program of the Year
This award recognizes programs of excellence among the thousands provided by NCCHC-accredited prisons, jails, and juvenile detention and confinement facilities.

Special Needs Pod
Washington County Jail, Hillsboro, Oregon

Certain segments of the inmate population—those especially vulnerable to abuse or having certain mental disorders—simply don’t do well in general jail housing. To protect these inmates, in 2005 the Washington County Jail explored the use of a “special needs” housing pod. One year later, assessment of the program showed such positive outcomes that it was made permanent. A big bonus: The program used existing resources and required no additional funding, staffing or structural changes to the facility.
     The target population includes inmates with major mental health disorders, developmental disabilities, history of head trauma, marked emotional liability and history of suicide attempt, as well as those who have certain physical limitations and those who are very young or old. Candidates are identified during intake screening, the classification process and mental health triage.
     One-year findings included the following:

• Medication pass is streamlined and now takes half the time it did before.
• Certain inmates progressed from poor functioning to thriving in the new environment, and many report feeling less depressed and more productive.
• The number of inmates seen by the mental health team increased by 111%, and the number seen by nursing staff by 45%.
• Psychiatric medication usage decreased overall, and among those patients on such regimens, medication compliance increased by 20%.
• Facilitywide incident and disciplinary reports decreased by 50% in the first year and have remained at that level.
• Despite housing many highly challenging inmates, the unit is reported to be one of the quietest, cleanest and best cared for pods.
• Discharge planning and coordination with community providers is now more efficient.