PNHP – NY Metro Monthly Forum:

Caring for the Incarcerated: Will a Single-Payer System Protect the Rights of the Most Vulnerable?

Tuesday, May 21, from 7:30 - 9:00 PM
Mt. Sinai Med School, Annenberg Rm. 12-01, 1468 Madison Avenue (between 99th & 101st Sts.)

All PNHP-NY Metro forums are FREE and OPEN TO THE PUBLIC and WHEELCHAIR-ACCESSIBLE

At a time of growing support for universal health care, both in New York State and the nation, one group continues to be left out: our incarcerated population. This forum will explore healthcare reform from a racial justice perspective and its intersection with criminal justice reform. We will discuss how a universal, single-payer system would impact the health & wellbeing of our most vulnerable populations.

Currently, there are 2.2 million incarcerated people in prisons and jails across our country who receive healthcare directly from a prison or jail. Federal policy prohibits payment of Medicaid and Medicare dollars to such facilities. The system’s devaluing of the lives of incarcerated people, largely rooted in racism, has caused grave consequences including gaps and delays in care and treatment disruption. The quality of care is uneven, inconsistent and compromised -- and it's not subject to the same healthcare standards as in the outside world. Additionally, solitary confinement, a ubiquitous form of cruel punishment, has serious mental health implications and its use for more than 15 continuous days has been banned by the United Nations as torture. Women have a whole set of specific healthcare-related needs that are not met or are subpar, including maternal and newborn health.

Panel:

• Five Mualimm-ak, Co-Founder/CEO, Incarcerated Nation Corporation

• Zachary Rosner, MD, Chief of Medicine, Correctional Health Services, NYC Health + Hospitals

• Anisah Sabur-Mumin, Survivor Leadership Coach & Coordinator for the Coalition for Women Prisoners, STEPS to End Family Violence

• Ashwin Vasan, MD, MPH, PhD, professor at Columbia U Medical Center and former founding ED of Health Access Equity Unit at the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene

Moderator: Roona Ray, MD, MPH, AAHIVS, Board Member, PNHP – NY Metro

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