Medical, Dental and Mental Health Services (New York DOCCS)

The New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision Medical Services page explains how people in DOCCS custody reach care. Medical staff are on site at all correctional facilities and incarcerated individuals have access to medical services on a daily basis through each facility's sick call procedure. Facilities differ in what they can provide, so people with short- or long-term special medical needs may be transferred to a facility that can meet them, and Regional Medical Units in selected facilities serve the chronically or terminally ill; transport to a community hospital is arranged when medically necessary. Dental care includes periodic checkups with follow-up or emergency treatment as needed. Mental health care is delivered in partnership with the New York State Office of Mental Health: people are referred and assessed at reception and throughout incarceration, assigned to facilities offering the needed level of service, and every facility has a procedure for requesting services, which include crisis intervention and short- and long-term individual and group counselling. The page sets out how to direct health information requests and where to write for mental health records.