Alliance Supports Cumberland Detention Post-Release Program

Alliance Health has partnered with the Cumberland County Detention Center and the Cumberland Health Department to help ensure that individuals with significant behavioral health needs being released from detention have the follow-up care they need in place, whether they are members of the Alliance Health Plan or not. They also frequently have concerns about housing, food insecurity and other environmental factors that impact their health and well-being.

Nationally, similar programs have been shown to significantly improve health outcomes, reduce substance use relapse and lower recidivism rates among formerly incarcerated individuals.

Key to the success of the initiative is a post-release coordination team consisting of two masters-level care managers and a certified peer support specialist funded by the county and supervised by Alliance, working alongside an Alliance jail liaison. This team aims to connect with detainees to setup a comprehensive discharge plan, ensure a “warm transfer” to follow-up care, and monitor their progress for 30 days to ensure they stay engaged with care. Ongoing support may include referrals to outpatient services, primary care physicals, housing assistance, and assistance with obtaining public benefits like Medicaid and Supplemental Security Income (SSI). For people not insured by Alliance, the team connects with their insurance carrier, makes them aware of their needs, and warm transfers their plan member to them.

Alliance Health CEO Rob Robinson notes that growing numbers of people with mental illness and substance use disorders in jail settings in not unique to Cumberland County – it is a problem with a national scope. “Without the strong linkage to post-release services like the ones provided by this program, released individuals are at significant risk for re-offense, and those with substance use disorders are at increased risk to for repeated substance misuse and overdose.”