Using incarceration as an opportunity to improve inmates’ health

One in 200 Canadians is detained or incarcerated in jail or prison every year, yet their access to health care is a far cry from the services offered in Canadian communities. Dr. Ruth Martin and Dr. Fiona Kouyoumdjian explain how incarceration ー even for short time spans ー can be a time to improve an inmate’s health and reduce the chances of reincarceration. Fiona Kouyoumdjian is a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Centre for Research on Inner City Health at St. Michael’s Hospital and a Family Physician at a provincial correctional facility in Hamilton, Ontario. Ruth Martin is a Clinical Professor and Director at the Collaborating Centre for Prison Health and Education SIFP at the University of British Columbia. Interview by Mélanie Meloche-Holubowski, journalist intern at EvidenceNetwork.ca, and journalist with Radio-Canada. The Evidence Network of Canadian Health Policy, commonly known as EvidenceNetwork.ca, is a Canadian healthcare resource designed with the needs of journalists in mind. The project links journalists with health policy experts to provide access to credible, evidence-based information. We also create original OpEds, articles, podcasts, infographics, posters and videos on health policy topics for publication in the mainstream media.