Across the U.S., more than 600,000 people are released from prisons and nine million from jails each year. Individuals released from incarceration face a greater burden of physical and behavioral health conditions and are at heightened risk of death compared to the general population. This population also faces many obstacles to health care access, and social barriers — such as structural racism, a lack of social supports, and barriers to employment — compound challenges to successful community reentry.

The Transitions Clinic Network (TCN) is a national network of 45 primary care clinics that provide comprehensive, patient-centered primary care services and social supports to individuals recently released from incarceration. TCN first launched in 2006 at the San Francisco Department of Public Health’s Southeast Health Center and grew out of the recognition that the health system was not meeting the needs of individuals returning to the community from incarceration.

This profile is part of an ongoing Better Care Playbook series, In the Field: Spotlight on Complex Care Interventions, that is highlighting how organizations are implementing evidence-based and promising innovations to improve care for people with complex health and social needs.