AAP Journal Examines Health Care of Justice-Involved Teens

For the past 30 years, Dr. Ramesh Sachdeva has utilized his medical expertise in a number of outlets, including education, clinical work, and research. Currently, Dr. Ramesh Sachdeva serves as the associate director of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), a role he has held for the past five years.

In a recent issue of Pediatrics, an AAP peer-reviewed medical journal, researchers looked at the correlation between arrests among youth who are enrolled in Medicaid and the setting in which they receive their medical care. The study, Preventive Care Utilization among Justice-Involved and Non-Justice-Involved Youth, noted that there is a greater use of emergency rooms than primary care facilities among young people who have been arrested at least one time.

Researchers looked at data of nearly 89,000 teenagers in Marion County, Indiana, over a period of seven years. They found that those who had at least one arrest on their record had higher rates of emergency room visits and lower rates of well-child visits when compared to Medicaid-enrolled teens who had never been arrested. In order to help curb this problem, the study researchers suggested school-based initiatives as a possible way to encourage regular medical care among justice-involved youth.

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