The National Commission on Correctional Health Care welcomes the American Association of Nurse Practitioners as its newest supporting organization, and Jennifer Clifton, DNP, FNP-BC, as the AANP’s liaison on the NCCHC board of directors.
Nurse practitioners assess patients, order and interpret diagnostic tests, make diagnoses, and initiate and manage treatment plans – including prescribing medications. They provide health care to millions of patients in a wide variety of settings, including corrections, where approximately 2,000 NPs work. The American Association of Nurse Practitioners is the largest and only full-service national professional membership organization for nurse practitioners of all specialties.
“I believe that the unique perspective of NPs who serve as primary care and mental health providers to individuals within the correctional system will bring added depth and experience to the NCCHC board of directors,” said Dr. Clifton. “I am honored to represent AANP on the board.”
Dr. Clifton is executive director of nurse practitioner education and an assistant professor at the University of Utah College of Nursing in Salt Lake City. Her correctional health care experience includes more than a decade as both a primary care provider and clinical director with Juvenile Justice Services through a collaboration with the College of Nursing.
Her work and her research focuses on adolescents within the corrections system. In 2015 and 2016, she spearheaded efforts to obtain funding for screening of chlamydia and gonorrhea in the Juvenile Justice Services setting. Each time, she was awarded one year of funding. In 2017, ongoing funding was awarded to this project by the Utah state legislature as part of the annual state budget.
Dr. Clifton serves on the NCCHC Juvenile Health Committee and has spoken at many NCCHC conferences. She is a Certified Correctional Health Professional (CCHP). This certification, sponsored by NCCHC, designates expertise in the field of correctional health care.
