Partners for Advancing Health Equity
Behind Bars: Unmasking Health Inequities in America's Prisons with Homer Venters
From our companion series, The Skin You’re In , we talk with Dr. Homer Venters, former Chief Medical Officer of New York Correctional Health Services, exploring the often-overlooked intersection of public health and the criminal justice system, as well as discussing Dr. Venters' groundbreaking work in correctional health and his latest book, Outbreak Behind Bars : Spider Bites, Human Rights, and the Unseen Danger to Public Health. Listeners will gain insights into the systemic health challenges faced by incarcerated individuals, including the impact of solitary confinement and the spread of infectious diseases like COVID-19 and scabies. Dr. Venters shares eye-opening stories from his experiences, emphasizing the urgent need for transparency and accountability in correctional health care. This episode not only highlights the pressing issues within the prison system but also offers a hopeful vision for reform, and the importance of integrating public health strategies in these settings. Host: Thomas LaVeist, PhD , Dean and Weatherhead Presidential Chair, Tulane Celia Scott Weatherhead School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine , Principal Investigator, Partners for Advancing Health Equity , Writer and Director, The Skin You’re In documentary Guest: Homer Venters, M.D ., Adjunct Faculty at the NYU School of Global Public Health and former Chief Medical Officer of New York Correctional Health Services. Author, Life and Death in Rikers Island , and Outbreak Behind Bars : Spider Bites, Human Rights & the Unseen Danger to Public Health Video version Transcript
