#UMNMCH student Chloe Spurgat shares her experiences working with the Minnesota Department of Health’s Model Practices in County Jails Project, where she aided efforts to support familial connection and wellbeing for those impacted by incarceration.

Centering Families in Correctional Health

Through my Center deployment with the Minnesota Department of Health’s Model Practices in County Jails Project, I have focused on supporting incarcerated parents and their children. I was drawn to this work through my undergraduate experiences participating in an Inside-Out Prison Exchange course held within an Indiana prison. This class supported collaborative discussion and learning between university students and individuals experiencing incarceration. Additionally, I have a strong interest in preventing and addressing adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), including parental incarceration. The Model Practices in County Jails Project recognizes incarceration as an MCH issue, given that separation from a parent can impact child development, emotional wellbeing, and long-term health outcomes (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2022). My role is situated within a broader effort to promote health equity and strengthen family connections within the carceral setting.

Translating Research and Experience Into Practice

A major component of my work involves developing accessible, evidence-based resources for incarcerated parents. One example is a guide I created titled, Staying Connected: Talking With Your Child About Sexual and Reproductive Health. This resource supports parents in having age-appropriate conversations with their children about bodies, relationships, and safety, even when communication is limited. This was developed in response to county jail staff feedback in the Model Jail Practices Learning Community.

The guide emphasizes that parents do not need to feel they have perfect answers. Instead, it focuses on building trust, encouraging open communication, and reinforcing that interactions with a trusted adult can positively influence children’s health and decision-making (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2022).

I also co-hosted a webinar with Lindsey Hoskins at Family Tree Clinic and John Eshun from the Model Jail Practices Project, where we shared an overview of a parental sexual education workshop with county jail staff. We also presented information about how to acquire further education and certification in the It’s That Easy sexual education curriculum.

Advancing Systems-Level Change

The overall goal of the Model Practices in County Jails Project is to support the adoption of policies and practices that prioritize family connection (National Institute of Corrections, n.d.). Through my deployment, I supported this effort by translating county jail staff feedback into practical, evidence-informed resources and contributing to learning opportunities within the Model Jail Practices Learning Community. Engaging directly with county jail staff provided insight into the operational realities of correctional settings, including constraints related to time, staffing, and institutional priorities, which shaped how I approached this work. This experience emphasized the importance of developing feasible, context-specific strategies while still advancing family-centered practices. By promoting parent-child relationships, this work contributes to improved outcomes for children impacted by incarceration (National Institute of Corrections, n.d.; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2022).

At a systems level, this project aims to shift how correctional settings approach family engagement, recognizing that supporting parents is an important pathway to supporting children and community safety. 

This experience will inform my public health practice by strengthening my ability to translate evidence into real-world settings, work in multidisciplinary teams, and collaborate across systems that are not traditionally centered in public health. Moving forward, I hope to continue advancing policies and programs that address the needs of families impacted by incarceration and other structural barriers to health.

References

National Institute of Corrections. (n.d.). Model practices for parents in jails.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2022). Parent-teen communication and adolescent health outcomes.

Bio
Chloe is a second-year MCH MPH student. Chloe received her BS from the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana.

–Read Student Spotlight archives

Interested in learning more about getting a degree in MCH? Visit our MCH Program page for more information.

#UMNMCH #UMNproud #UMNdriven