Justice-Impacted Brooklyn Individuals to Receive Innovative Healthcare

By Office of the President | Jan 28, 2025

Congratulations to the STAR Program’s staff on launching the Back to Brooklyn program, a transformative initiative supported by a $500K grant from the Mother Cabrini Health Foundation (MCHF). This two-year effort will improve healthcare access and retention for justice-impacted individuals returning to Brooklyn, addressing their unique medical and behavioral health challenges.

The program tackles social determinants of health by integrating medical and behavioral health services, comprehensive case management, and social support into a cohesive model of care. Community health workers (CHWs) with lived incarceration experiences play key roles in providing peer-based support, building trust, and helping patients navigate complex health and social systems. With a focus on chronic conditions such as HIV, diabetes, hypertension, depression, and substance use disorders, Back to Brooklyn creates a foundation for better healthcare access and improved quality of life for reentrants.

Nearly 5,000 individuals return to Brooklyn from correctional facilities each year, many settling in Central Brooklyn neighborhoods served by Downstate. They often face disproportionate burdens of chronic illnesses, mental health challenges, and economic hardships that can lead to recidivism. Back to Brooklyn seeks to disrupt this cycle, reduce barriers to care, and provide stability for reentrants by offering essential healthcare and resources during the reentry period.

This program reflects Downstate’s long-standing commitment to advancing healthcare equity for vulnerable populations. Back to Brooklyn also aligns with MCHF’s mission to improve health outcomes for underserved communities—a key component of the foundation’s efforts to address critical health challenges across New York State.

Building on the STAR Program’s 30-year legacy of delivering comprehensive care to underserved populations, particularly those impacted by HIV, Back to Brooklyn serves as a model for addressing healthcare disparities. By integrating innovative care delivery with a focus on equity, the program exemplifies a forward-thinking approach to creating a more just and accessible healthcare system for justice-impacted individuals.