Posted: 11/1/2016
Esmaeil Porsa, MD, MPH, CCHP, Executive Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer and Medical Director for Jail Health at Parkland Health & Hospital System, has been appointed to the Texas Commission on Jail Standards by Gov. Greg Abbott. The commission establishes standards for the care and treatment of county prisoners, construction, maintenance and operation of county jails.
Dr. Porsa is a member and former trustee of the National Commission on Correctional Health Care and member of the Society of General Internal Medicine, Academy of Correctional Medicine. He is a volunteer physician for the Human Rights Initiative. Additionally, he serves as a volunteer clinical assistant professor of family medicine at UT Southwestern Medical Center and as an associate assistant clinical professor at Texas Woman’s University.
Dr. Porsa received a Bachelor of Arts in biology from Our Lady of the Lake University, Doctor of Medicine from The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio and a Master of Public Health from The University of Texas Health Center at Houston. He began working at Harris County Jail as a second year internal medicine resident. Soon afterward, he made a decision that correctional healthcare would be his career and source of professional and personal growth. Believing that his work is more than a job—that it is a mission—Dr. Porsa said, “I find the most rewarding aspect is being able to care for a segment of our population that is sicker, less served and less represented.”
Parkland was named the recipient of the 2013 Excellence in Community Service Award from Texas Hospital Association (THA) in recognition of the system’s outstanding accomplishments in providing healthcare services for the Dallas County Jail. More than 120,000 patients receive healthcare annually through the Dallas County Jail System.
In 2006, the Dallas County Commissioners asked Parkland to step in and overhaul healthcare in the jail that includes both adult and juvenile correction facilities. Since Parkland took over the Dallas County Jail health program, outcomes have improved for inmates, the mortality rate has declined and inpatient days have decreased. A new three-level, 280-bed medical and mental health infirmary opened in 2014.
“Dr. Porsa and the entire Parkland team are committed to providing excellent healthcare for the jail population of Dallas County,” said Fred Cerise, MD, MPH, President and CEO of Parkland. “Their work has transformed the medical delivery system in the Dallas County Jail into a national model. We are very proud of the improvements we’ve achieved in the provision of care for Dallas County inmates.”
For more information about Parkland, please visit www.parklandhospital.com.