HOULTON, Maine — Alison M. Willette, RN has earned her professional certification in the field of correctional health care on Oct. 1. To become a certified correctional health professional (CCHP), Willette had to demonstrate mastery of national standards and the knowledge expected of leaders working in this field.
Willette, who is affiliated with the Katahdin Valley Health Center, joins more than 3,000 correctional health care professionals nationwide who have earned this distinction.
CCHP is highly regarded as a symbol of accomplishment and self-improvement, and provides immeasurable benefits, according to Matissa Sammons in a press release. It promotes health care professionals’ knowledge, understanding, and application of standards and guidelines essential to the delivery of appropriate health care in the correctional environment; their role in delivering that care; the basic legal principles underlying their practice; and their ethical obligations.
Some institutions make certification a condition of employment or a prerequisite for pay raises and bonuses, and for all CCHPs, the credentials enhance their professional standing in the community.
“We are proud of Alison for her initiative, and for this significant professional accomplishment,” said Sheriff Darrell Crandall. “I remain very satisfied with the services the county receives from the Katahdin Valley Health Center. KVHC is contracted to provide in-house health care to the inmate population at the Aroostook County Jail. Their services include on site nursing staff and on-site, non-emergency services of a physician as needed. This level of service would be next to impossible to manage and cost prohibitive if we had to hire the staff ourselves.
“While this certification is not a requirement, it shows the collective and continued efforts of the Sheriff’s Office and KVHC to employ the most up to date, best practices in correctional health care,” Crandall said.
