Gwinnett Sheriff’s Office becomes first law enforcement agency in U.S. to offer health insurance assistance program to newly released inmates

The Gwinnett County Sheriff Office is launching a new, first of its kind effort to help people released from jail and prison get health insurance.

The office announced the establishment of the Re-Entry Health Insurance Program on Thursday with the opening of an access kiosk at the Gwinnett County Detention Center. The office said it is the first law enforcement agency in the U.S. to offer the program, which is designed to ensure people released from jail, prison and halfway houses get immediate access to health insurance.

“Guiding residents towards medical insurance is another key component to the criminal justice reform. Individuals transitioning out of incarceration often include adults with significant mental health and physical needs that also experience social and economic challenges,” Sheriff Keybo Taylor said.

Sheriff’s Office officials said the health insurance program is part of ongoing efforts to target recidivism. They asserted that half of the people who end up incarcerated have not only mental health issues, but also suffer from substance addiction issues, and that those issues increase their chances of being re-arrested.

The issues also contribute to higher rates of mortality, drug addiction, mental illness and chronic and infectious diseases if left untreated, according to sheriff’s office officials. Health insurance plans, in some cases, can include coverage for substance abuse counseling, mental health counseling and domestic violence screening while also meeting child support medical insurance requirements.

“Getting medical insurance promotes greater stability in their lives and ultimately reducing the recidivism rate,” Taylor said. “We are pushing to help as many people as possible and be a trailblazer for surrounding agencies to do the same thing.”