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AHCCCS poised to deliver better health care access to people leaving prison

Lower Buckeye Jail
Jimmy Jenkins/KJZZ
/
file | staff
A long corridor at the Lower Buckeye Jail.

AHCCCS has received federal approval to give incarcerated people a much-needed boost while they transition back into their communities by offering a so-called reentry benefits package.

The goal is to trigger a domino effect that bolsters community safety, improves health outcomes and reduces reincarceration rates.

It’s called a pre-release package and offers coverage for services like case management, doctor visits, medication-assisted substance use treatment or 30-day supplies of other medications.

To qualify, a person must be in prison, eligible for state Medicaid or Kids-Care, and have a release date within 90 days.

Before AHCCCS can start getting people connected with services, though, the recent approval from Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services still needs a vote from state lawmakers to finalize it.

Kirsten Dorman is a field correspondent at KJZZ. Born and raised in New Jersey, Dorman fell in love with audio storytelling as a freshman at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication in 2019.
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