The National Commission on Correctional Healthcare (NCCHC) has chosen the MDOC to participate in a one year research project, the results of which will likely prove beneficial to the entire health care industry.

Dr. Robert Shansky (left) with
Dr. George Pramstaller

The study, which begins in October in all Michigan prisons, will track the management of common chronic disease in prisoners. Diagnosis, treatment and outcome data will be collected then transferred electronically to the NCCHC office in Chicago for analysis. This information will be used to establish guidelines for the most effective control of common chronic disease. The five common chronic diseases that will be targeted are hypertension, diabetes, asthma, seizure disorder and HIV.

Michigan and Georgia corrections departments were chosen for the study because of their exceptional prison health care systems. “Michigan’s highly organized and extremely comprehensive chronic care program is one of very few in the nation developed enough to participate,” stated Dr. Ronald Shansky of the NCCHC board of directors.

Dr. Shansky stated that this is the first study of it’s kind in or out of corrections. He indicated that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is very interested in the results of the study.

“I feel that this project will be a landmark project for not only correctional health care but for health care as a whole,” said Dr. Shansky. He believes the results of the study will help ensure that future funding for chronic disease treatment will be most productively spent on effective treatment, thus benefitting all patients suffering from these diseases.

“We are proud that the Michigan Department of Corrections was one of two corrections departments in the country to have been selected for this project,” said MDOC chief medical officer, Dr. George Pramstaller.

Michigan Department of Corrections, Sept. 12, 2002