Cisco & Presidio Behind Telehealth to North Carolina Prisons
During lockdown, telehealth solutions became vital for populations everywhere – and not just in towns and cities, but also prisons.
Traditionally, prisoners with a health issue are escorted under guard to an external healthcare facility, which was not an option during the pandemic.
To meet the health needs of those in 54 prisons, the North Carolina Department of Adult Correction (DAC) introduced a telehealth service that is now firmly established, hugely successful, and to date has saved the state $20 million.
The trusted vendor partners involved in its provision were the multinational digital communications technology conglomerate, Cisco – whose HQ is in North Carolina – and also its deployment partner Presidio, which specialises in designing, implementing and managing digital platforms.
At the heart of the telehealth solution is Cisco Webex, the enterprise video conferencing solution, whose collaboration tools facilitate communication and learning.
As well as giving inmates access to telehealth appointments, the solution is also used for video visitations and court appearances. North Carolina was spending an exorbitant amount of money on prisoner healthcare visits, because of the support staff needed for security and safeguarding on trips to take an offender out of prison, to the doctor or to hospital, and then back.
The Webex-based solution has to date saved the state a total of $20 million, and counting.
Meghan Steele is Public Sector VP at Cisco, and says So Presidio was a critical partner in allowing it and DAC to creatively overcome the specific challenges of installing technology in a correctional facility.
“Correctional facilities are a lot of concrete, which is not great for setting up any kind of network environment,” says Meghan. “Then there’s the question of safety concerns over gaining access to certain areas.
She says that Presidio “was critical in allowing us to creatively overcome those challenges”.
Meghan, who leads Cisco’s state and local government education practice for the East Coast, and she helps the company serve all components of the public sector, at local, state and federal levels – for everyone from the Federal Government Department of Defence to universities and local governments.
“We really get focused on the mission of what our government clients need,” she says.
As well as facilitating telehealth provision, there was also a strong educational element to Cisco’s involvement with DAC, in the guise of Hope University, an initiative whose purpose is to provide offenders with education and job-skill opportunities.
“Our technology powers Hope University,” says Meghan. “As a programme it’s aimed at giving offenders the resources necessary to make a successful re-entry to society, with a view to reducing recidivism.”
Summing up the success of the initiative, Meghan says: “North Carolina has already seen many benefits from these programmes.
“There has been an increase in efficiency, effectiveness and safety for correctional officers. From the offender's perspective, it has helped maintain their dignity, and means they no longer face long hours waiting for care, while losing the opportunity to earn money through their prison jobs.”
As for Hope University, she calls this “a unique and revolutionary programme”, adding: “It offers offenders the opportunity to gain skills and an education in order to increase the likelihood of a successful reentry into society.”
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