Emily A. Wang ^1*, Mary C. White ², Ross Jamison ³, Joe Goldenson ⁴, Milton Estes ⁴, Jacqueline P. Tulsky ³

¹ University of California, SF
² University of California, San Francisco
³ Positive Health Program; University of California, SF
⁴ San Francisco County Jail Health Services, Department of Public Health

^* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: emily.wang{at}ucsf.edu.

	Abstract

Continuity of health care among the formerly incarcerated is an emerging public health challenge. We used data from the San Francisco County Jail to determine whether discharge planning improves access to care on release. Inmates who were HIV positive and received discharge planning were 6 times more likely to have a regular source of care in the community compared with inmates with other chronic medical conditions, and they were as likely to have a regular source of care compared with the general San Francisco population.

Key Words: Chronic Disease, Community Health, Access to Care, HIV/AIDS, Public Health Practice