Recently, NCCHC received 21 applications for certified correctional health professionals (CCHP) and CCHP-RN (nursing) certification from the Rhode Island Department of Corrections. While our certification department is pretty busy, the number of applications received at one time stood out.

We asked Nurse Practitioner Kimberly Kane, APRN, ANP-BC, CCHP-RN, at the RI DOC what caused the surge. She noted that all of the DOC’s health care leadership staff is certified and the department is committed to full alignment with NCCHC’s mission and standards. The surge was the result of a number of actions at the DOC.

She shared that “our OTP recently went through reaccreditation and it raised awareness of the importance of NCCHC standards and staff buy-in to the program. Also, the DOC is beginning the journey to health care accreditation and has enrolled in NCCHC’s study with Harvard University as part of that program. Staff education is critical to our success.”

Ms. Kane also pointed out that the DOC has recently made a number of hires who did not have a background in corrections. She notes that “Leadership felt that certification would be an important foundation for their future success. Plus, we’re all very excited that the team was recently able to allocate funds to aid and incentivize certification. The number of applications is really encouraging and we anticipate more staff being certified very soon.”

Learn more about NCCHC’s certification program. Visit ncchc.org/professional-certification or contact cchp@ncchc.org.