摘要：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. Inmates with chronic medical conditions experience discontinuity of health care on release despite the risk of serious health outcomes. 1 , 2 Of those released from jail, 90% lack insurance or financial resources for medical care. 3 – 5 Although incarceration presents an opportunity to link inmates to health care on release, most are released without medical appointments. This discontinuity may lead to poor health outcomes, duplication of health care services, and recidivism. 6 We sought to compare inmates' access to care with and without discharge planning. Because the San Francisco County Jail offers discharge planning for inmates who are HIV positive, including coordination of primary care and social services, we hypothesized that persons with HIV were more likely to identify a regular source of care compared with those without this service.
