"...and that's what prison teaches you... you don't tell people when you're hurting, because that exposure is a weakness, and people prey on those weaknesses."
Timeline of Project Development and Implementation
Received Funding
April 2022Received funding from UI OVPR Community Engaged Scholars Award Mechanism
D.O.C. Policy Review
October 2022Began in-depth review of DOC Policies related to health led by Daria Fisher-Page, J.D.
Initial Interview Protocol Development
February 2023Drafting of initial semi-structured interview protocol led by Heather Erwin, Ed.D., J.D. in collaboration with student researchers across Colleges of Education, Law, and Public Health
Project Team Expansion
June 2024Hired Project Coordinator Amber Hawkins, MPH and staffed Community Advisory Board
Strategic Planning
Summer 2024In-depth planning with board during summer meetings including consultation and capacity building
Presented at UI CBH 25th Anniversary Poster Session
September 24, 2024Experiencing Healthcare Systems in Iowa Prisons
Eboneé T. Johnson, Ph.D.; Amber M. Hawkins, MPH; Makayla Morales, MPH; Dell Pippins; Heather Erwin, JD; Daria Fisher-Page, JD, Jason Lewis Albaugh, Randall Grandstaff, Joshua Gillette, Ken Greene, Victor Hall, Sr., Gregory Lovett, Christopher Martin, Helen Neumann, Zachary Palmer, Josie Pursley, Joshua Wages and Thaddeous Wood
CCAN-CON Tabling Event and Panel Discussion
October 19, 2024The PIPER project tabled for seven hours at the CCAN-CON event. Informational flyers about the project were shared as well as interview recruitment materials and mental health resources. Four advisory board members participated in a panel discussion educating the community about their healthcare experiences while incarcerated.
Team Presented at the American Public Health Association Conference
October 28, 2024Ebonee Johnson, Ph.D.1, Amber Hawkins, M.P.H.1, Heather Erwin, Ph.D., J.D.2, Daria Fisher Page, J.D.1, Johnny Pippins, M.S.1, Makayla Morales, M.P.H.1, Joshua Gillette3, Ryan Mckelvey3, Ken Greene3, VIctor Hall Sr.3, Thaddeus Wood3, Joshua Wages3, Helen Neumann, MA, LMHC3, Zachary Palmer3, Josie Pursley4, Gregory Lovett3, Randall Grandstaff3, Christopher Martin3 and Jason Allbaugh3
(1)University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, (2)American Institutes for Research, Iowa City, IA, (3)Iowa City, IA, (4)Iowa State University, Ames, IAUtilizing a community engaged, action-oriented approach, our workcenters the experiences and expertise of formerly incarcerated individuals. Working in collaboration with a newly convened community advisory board (CAB), consisting primarily of formerly incarcerated individuals, we co-developed a programmatic line of research, beginning with an initial qualitative study to understand the healthcare experiences of persons who were formerly incarcerated in Iowa. Multimodal qualitative data collection included artifacts from advisory board meetings (e.g., meeting minutes, mindmaps, etc.) and transcribed data from semi-structured interviews (protocol created by CAB members). Preliminary thematic analysis reveals patterns of substandard dental care (e.g., My teeth were bad because of drug use... When I saw the dentist, he said, ˜pick one tooth ,because they weren't going to treat all of them), perceived medication mismanagement (e.g., they give you a pill to make you quiet and go awayâ€; "the 'pill line' is everyone in the prison....because of overpopulation, they want to sedate as many people as possible"), medical negligence (e.g., you have a problem and get sent to [external hospital], where they prescribe you one thing, but then they give you something else when you get back to prison) and the overall impact incarceration has on health and wellbeing (e.g., quality of life takes a dive). Themes underscore the urgent need for carceral healthcare reform. Thus, this session includes a description of this project's community-engaged research framework, a discussion of emerging themes (e.g., including triangulation of data from various qualitative research methods), and recommendations for research, practice, and policy.
Participant Recruitment and Data Collection
Spring 2025Additional participant recruitment and data collection efforts led by doctoral student- Johnny "Dell" Pippins, M.S.
Data Collection, Data Analysis, Monthly Board Meetings to Collectively Interpret Data
Summer 2025Qualitative data analysis led by UI CPH undergrduate research practicum student- Aphraditie Hancock.