New South Jersey clinic opens to bridge health care gaps for people leaving jails and prisons

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About four years ago, Dr. Nagasasikanth Mopuri was completing his medical residency program in New Jersey when he realized that many patients coming into the hospital were incarcerated at local jails and prisons, and they were struggling with substance use disorders.

“They were withdrawing pretty badly and the jails were not equipped to manage them, so they were sending these people out to the hospitals,” he said.

In recent years, many county jails have begun offering medications for opioid use disorder and expanding their addiction and mental health treatment programs to stabilize people during their time in correctional facilities.

But then Mopuri, who later worked inside jails and prisons, noticed another problem among patients who were eventually released.

“I used to get them sober, put them on the medications, put them on the right path.

Three months later, I see them back, and it’s like, what happened?” he said. “They were able to tell me, ‘Hey doc, when we go out, we don’t have access, and a lot of [doctor’s] offices do not want to take me.’”

That’s when Mopuri was inspired to launch his own clinic, Omega Physicians, this October in Medford, New Jersey, to improve continuity of care for people transitioning back into their communities.

National data show that opioid overdose is a leading cause of death among people leaving prisons and jails, especially within the first two weeks of release.

Other research shows that the majority of people who leave prison have at least one chronic health condition that needs ongoing treatment, like diabetes, asthma or HIV/AIDS. Others are diagnosed with mental health issues like depression and post-traumatic stress.

Mopuri said he wants the new clinic, which offers primary and specialty care, to be a one-stop-shop for people with multiple and complex needs.

“It’s a combination of a holistic approach where you need medications, and you also need psychotherapy and other care,” he said.

Advanced practice nurse Zachary Rios said this approach is especially needed for people who are trying to manage both a substance use disorder and a co-occurring mental health or chronic health condition.

“Once you can curb the addiction or treat them where they’re at, you then peel back the onion of all of those chronic care needs that you can start to address,” Rios said.

The team at Omega Physicians says they also try to address the stigma that often follows formerly incarcerated people when they may not feel welcomed or understood at other kinds of outpatient health care practices.

Nearly all the doctors and nurses at the Medford health clinic have worked in the correctional system, and several speak Spanish and other languages.

“We can put ourselves in the shoes of those patients, and we can identify with them culturally and also talk to them in their own language,” said Iris Diaz, a psychiatric nurse practitioner.

“Sometimes they come for general medicine and they’ve never seen a psychiatrist before,” she said. “They feel more encouraged and they feel more confident that they can trust us to have those evaluations and care that they would not get otherwise.”

Mopuri said he wants to bring this model of health care to other communities, including cities like Camden and Newark, and hopes that his patients gain long-term improvements to their health.

“I have seen patients who come in now and they are very happy to come back,” Mopuri said. “I could see that they’re very determined.”