FIT Program  stands as Formerly  Incarcerated Transitions Program .

Upon release from the state prison system, individuals are frequently without work, without health insurance, and without a medical home. The Formerly Incarcerated Transition (FIT) Program aims to connect all formerly incarcerated individuals who have a chronic disease with a primary care provider and a comprehensive reentry plan.

Who are we?

The FIT Program of Durham connects formerly incarcerated people with chronic illness to healthcare.

A partnership with Lincoln Community Health Center, Durham Criminal Justice resource center, Durham County Department of Public Health and NC Department of Public Safety.

What is the Formerly Incarcerated Transition Program (FIT)?

The FIT Program is designed to help address this gap in care. The FIT Program broadly collaborates with existing reentry providers across a wide spectrum of support services, primary health care providers  and the NC prison system.

The first FIT Program in the state was started in early 2017 in Durham County with partners including the Lincoln Community Health Center, The Durham County Department of Health and the Durham Criminal Justice Resource Center.  

A Community Health Worker (CHW) works directly with the formerly incarcerated individual after release to achieve successful reentry and specifically to facilitate connections with primary medical care, and if needed behavioral health and substance use treatment.

The CHW will take them to medical appointments and help assure they have proper follow up and can obtain their medications.

Returning to the community after incarceration is a process filled with challenges – finding a job, finding a place to live, reconnecting with the remnants of a former life. For many formerly incarcerated individuals, this return is made even more difficult by chronic health problems like diabetes, kidney disease, or mental illness.

But because there are so many other obstacles to overcome, these individuals are often unable to access the kind of health care that they require and simply go without regular care.