MAT and Digital Options to Improve Criminal Justice Outcomes

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Chief Medical Officer, Armor Health National Correctional health services provider with over 2,000 employees across 8 states. Responsible for all aspects of the delivery of medical, dental, behavioral health, psychiatric, and specialty health care services. Restructured the company to create a matrix organization with a centralized health services department consisting of utilization management, transitional case management, provider contracting, credentialing, provider/nursing training and development, clinical informatics, and population health management. Restructured clinical leadership to have clinicians reporting to clinicians, while still holding them accountable at a site level. Implemented IHI’s best practices such as morning huddles. Developed clinical workflows to make onboarding of providers easier and make healthcare safer. Developed provider clinical guidelines in accordance with NCCHC standards to both meet NCCHC guidelines and provide our patients the best available evidenced based care. Led our Behavioral Health team to provide structured, evidenced based services throughout our company with a focus on risk stratifying our patient population using criminogenic, psychiatric and substance abuse risk factors. Led our organization to structure an evidence-based, multi-disciplinary, patient centered medication-assisted-treatment (MAT) program. Integrated our MAT program with community-based programs to structure a warm hand-off at discharge with the goal of impacting recidivism and decreasing mortality. With our team’s focus on outcomes, we reduced admissions per thousand to under 80 admissions per thousand patients besting Medicaid numbers while accounting for demographic and regional variability.

Melinda is a proven entrepreneur with over 35 years’ experience. She has an extensive background serving disadvantaged populations and using innovative delivery systems and technology to more efficiently and personally serve people in need. No matter the sector in which she works, she brings new ideas and processes to improve efficacy and extend impact. In 2017, she founded Anchored to Hope, applying extensive research on how behavioral intervention technologies, including virtual reality, can increase access to self-care tools. Anchor4Me, its web-based application, uses cognitive behavioral therapy, virtual reality meditations, and constructive problem-solving tools to assist justice-involved people and their families with recovery and achieving improved behavioral health. Melinda also leads The Collective Genius, a research, strategy and marketing firm dedicated to engaging communities in social justice, racial equity, and mental health issues. Her prior experience includes: Associate Vice President, University Communications, The Ohio State University; Chief Operating Officer, YWCA Columbus; Chief of Staff, Columbus City Council; Founder and CEO, Taylor-Made Strategic Research & Communications; and Press Secretary, Ohio Attorney General. Swan is an active volunteer, serving on the board of the Humane Society of Delaware County.