Cynthia Jackson
Community Health Worker, Sr @Hennepin Healthcare
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WORK HISTORY
Community Health Worker, Sr @Hennepin Healthcare
Minneapolis, MN, US
Approximately incarcerated individuals return to the community every year. These family members, friends, and neighbors are 12x more likely to die in the first two weeks of release than their peers. Drug overdose is the #1 cause of death, followed by suicide, cardiovascular disease, homicide and cancer. Incarcerated individuals have higher rates of chronic and communicable diseases and co-morbidities: hypertension, diabetes, Hepatitis C, HIV/AIDS, heart disease, asthma, cervical cancer. Up to 50% have symptoms of mental illness. 60-85% have a history of substance use and abuse, compared to about 10% in the general population. Individuals returning to their communities are often more unhealthy upon release than upon entering incarceration. Mass incarceration has impacted communities\' ability to heal themselves by creating barriers to employment in health care for people with a felony conviction. Here at Hennepin Health, we have partnered with the Transitions Clinic Network to create the S.T.A.R.T. Initiative. The Transitions Clinic Network seeks to break this cycle by providing meaningful healthcare careers to CHWs with a history of incarceration. I am able to leverage the singular knowledge of an individual who has successfully reentered society. Through my shared history of addiction and incarceration, I build a unique trust with patients resulting in enhanced primary care engagement and reduced Emergency Department utilization.
EDUCATION
Normandale Community College
Certification, Public Health
Minneapolis Community and Technical College
Transferred to MSU, Addictions Counseling
Metropolitan State University
Bachelor of Arts - BA, Community Organization and Social Justice Reform, 3.8 GPA
Metropolitan State University
Masters Degree, Advocacy and Political Leadership
ABOUT CYNTHIA JACKSON
I am passionate about social reform and racial justice. I believe in healing the whole person through understanding and resolving individual and generational trauma through an historical lens. I hold a B.S. in Individualized Studies, with a heavy emphasis on behavioral psychology and sociology, as well as the concepts, history, and narratives of racism (white supremacy), and various counseling models. I hold a Master of Advocacy and Political Leadership degree from Metropolitan State University and use the knowledge and skills gained to effect change through community organizing and outreach. I am formerly the Chair of the Police Conduct Oversight Commission (PCOC) in the Minneapolis Department of Civil Rights, and also served on the PCOC\'s Outreach Committee. I am involved, both personally and professionally, with advocating for the systemically disadvantaged and speaking out about structural racism and the resulting disparities that exist on an institutional level in our society. I currently serve on the Board of Directors for the Minnesota Second Chance Coalition and am a member of the training committee. I am also a member of the Board of Directors for the Ex-Offenders Resource Network, Inc.
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