Authors solicited prisoners from a maximum-security prison located on the East Coast, and ultimately 45 male prisoners were interviewed for 30 mins. The prisoners were asked 60 questions that consisted of demographic information, money in their current account, and two 10 point likert scale use to measure both self-reported physical and mental health. The dependent variable of the report was the question stating "how many times have not gone to medical in the past 3 months because of the co-pay fee?" The results of the study were 80% (36/45) of participants reported avoiding medical at least once at some time during their current incarceration due to the copayment.  Specifically in the past 3 months, 71% (32/45) reported they avoided seeking meeting with a healthcare professional at least once. Overall, the co-payment fee was a financial barrier. 

Dr. Brian Wyant is an Associate Professor in the Department of Sociology and Criminal Justice at La Salle University. Dr. Holly Harner, Ph.D., MBA, MPH, CRNP, WHCNP-BC, is currently the Associate Provost for Faculty and Academic Affairs and an Associate Professor of Public Health at La Salle University.

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^{Keywords: California, community-based, report, qualitative, prison health care, 2010, negative}

• Mental Health