Chair Brooks-Powers asks about nursery notices and application process

Going back to your statement about the application process, are notices regarding the nursery and potential

eligibility posted anywhere besides the clinic?

And if so, where are they posted?

I believe they're posted in intake as well.

I would also note our gender-related services team meets with every pregnant individual in custody, and part of the work they're doing is facilitating access to nurse grade applications.

What's the longest someone can remain in the nursery?

So with a child, you can remain up to one year.

That's not including, obviously, during the pregnancy time period.

When children age out of the nursery program, has the Department of Correction noticed any negative effects on the parent if the parent remains incarcerated?

What I can say is our DOC program staff and the doulas work very closely with the mom to support her coming up to that time.

We've even had a birthday for the child, a first birthday.

So there's a lot of counseling and support because we recognize.

That being a new mom can be difficult when incarcerated.

And as part of the postpartum visit, there are mental health screening questions if the woman weren't already enrolled in the mental health service.

And we do have a very low threshold for those referrals.