New Tools: A Closer Look at Medical, Virtual and Systems Innovations that Can Improve Criminal Justice Outcomes

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Jimmy Fernandez, M.D. and MBA - As Chief Medical Officer for Armor Health, a national correctional health services provider with over 2,000 employees across eight states, Dr. Fernandez is responsible for all aspects of delivering medical, dental, behavioral health, psychiatric and specialty health care services. He restructured the company to provide a centralized health services department consisting of utilization and transitional case management, provider contracting, credentialing, provider/nursing training and development, clinical informatics, and population health management. He led the behavioral health team to provide structured, evidence-based services used criminogenic, psychiatric and substance abuse risk factors. Previously, he was Chief Medical Officer for Conviva; Chief Medical Officer of Medical Care Consortium Incorporated Expansion Markets; and Regional Medical Director of Texas Network Development/Contracting. He is member of the American College of Physicians, American College of Correctional Physicians, American Medical Association and ASQ Healthcare Division. He is board certified in Internal Medicine, a Fellow of the American College of Correctional Physicians, a Six Sigma Champion and certified in Medical Quality by the American Board of Medical Quality #21340. He earned an Executive MBA in Health Sector Management & Policy from the University of Miami School of Business Administration, his M.D. from Iberoamerican University; and his bachelor's degree from Florida International University.

Molly Gauntner - A Licensed Professional Counselor (PC) and Chemical Dependency Counselor III (LCDC III) in the State of Ohio, Molly earned her Master of Education degree in Community Agency Counseling from Cleveland State University. She has worked in pretrial and probation for more than 27 years, specifically in adult felony and misdemeanor courts in Cuyahoga and Franklin Counties. She has worked in various roles, including: Chief and Deputy Chief Probation Officer; Co-Coordinator of the Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities Court; Director of State Community Corrections Act grant funded diversion programs; Cognitive Skills Facilitator; and Substance Use Case Manager. She is past president of the Ohio Chief Probation Officers Association, prior vice president of the Ohio Justice Alliance for Community Corrections (OJACC). She was a member of the National Institute of Corrections Pretrial Executive Network and served on OJAAC's Adult Collaborative, representing jail diversion and recidivism reduction programs. Molly recently joined Oriana House as Vice President of Correctional Programs where she is implementing system innovations to increase voluntary stabilization and encourage people to get treatment for mental health and addiction disorders instead of entering the criminal justice system.

Melinda Swan is a proven entrepreneur with more than 35 year's experience. She has an extensive background serving disadvantaged populations and using innovative delivery systems and technology to more efficiently and respectfully serve people in need. In 2017, she founded Anchored to Hope, applying extensive research on the needs of justice involved people to behavioral intervention technology. Her first product, Anchor4Me, is a web-based platfrom that uses cognitive behavioral therapy, motivational interviewing, meditations in virtual reality and other tools to promote recovery and reduce recidivism. Her tool is now in the field and four Ohio counties serving more than 700 participants. She has amassed extensive research on the efficacy of digital mental health tools. She also leads The Collective Genius, a research, strategy and marketing firm dedicated to engaging communities around social justice, racial equity and mental health issues, keeping her on the front-lines and connected to under-served populations. Her prior experience includes overseeing a family shelter and other programs as Chief Operating Officer for the YWCA Columbus and creating new public health initiatives as Chief of Staff for Columbus City Council.