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Program teaches about the barriers faced by those recently released from prison
WILMINGTON, NC: Trillium Health Resources hosted a reentry simulation at the North Campus of Cape Fear Community College on August 16. This event provided a hands-on experience of the barriers for individuals released from incarceration, including those with severe substance use, mental illness, and intellectual/developmental disabilities. Through volunteers and role-playing, attendees experienced situations trying to access services and resources that are often challenging and difficult to navigate.
Each attendee was assigned a specific profile and given a list of tasks to complete. Participants attempted to find jobs, attend treatment appointments, maintain stable housing, and comply with the conditions of their release. For example, if too many years have lapsed, a person may only have access to a learner’s permit instead of a full license. This limits when they can drive, lessening their ability to find employment or housing.
Around 30,000 individuals are incarcerated in the state of North Carolina. Each year, around 2/3 of them are released. With recidivism rates around 35-40%, prison populations remain steady. A huge factor for recidivism is not having proper support and encouragement upon reentry. Groups like Our Journey are working to change that.
One participant, Courtney Shaddock, is an Occupational Therapy Assistant at Trillium. When considering the simulation, she commented, “It kept getting worse with each week. I’m not getting food. I was supposed to be living in a halfway house, so I wasn’t able to get the supplies I needed or [do] the things I needed to week-to-week. You have to look at people’s barriers. As therapists, that’s what I look at. Looking at what others might not see as a barrier and seeing how it impacts someone’s life.”
Organizations like Our Journey help lessen this confusion. They send a resource kit that includes a book with support and tips on the emotions they may experience, gift cards to restaurants, a local resource guide, a t-shirt, and two doses of narcan. Individuals recently released from prison are 40 times more likely to die from an opioid overdose.
Trillium will host additional simulations in other locations in the future, including one in Greenville on September 26.
ABOUT TRILLIUM HEALTH RESOURCES
Trillium Health Resources is a leading specialty care manager (LME/MCO) for individuals with substance use, mental illness and intellectual/developmental disabilities in 28 counties in eastern North Carolina. Trillium’s mission is to transform the lives of people in need by providing them with ready access to quality care. We take a person-centered approach to health and wellbeing, coordinating care across multiple systems to achieve improved health outcomes, quality of care and efficient use of resources. Trillium is investing in innovation to meet the unique needs of the individuals and communities we serve, and remains focused on delivering the right services, in the right amount, at the right time. For more information, visit www.TrilliumHealthResources.org.
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