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Dr. Michelle Staples-Horne Receives 2013 Armond Start Award for Professional Excellence
DJJ Medical Director Receives National Honors
Georgia Recognized for Excellence in Juvenile Offender Health Care
(ATLANTA - GA) Commissioner Avery D. Niles of the Georgia Department of Juvenile
Justice is pleased to announce DJJ Medical Director, Dr. Michelle Staples-Horne, is
the recipient of the 2013 Armond Start Award for Professional Excellence from the
Society of Correctional Physicians (SCP). Dr. Staples-Horne received this high honor
at the SCP’s October 27th meeting in Nashville, TN.
The Society of Correctional Physicians represents health care specialists from throughout
the United States who provide clinical care for jail, prison and juvenile offender
populations at the local, state and federal level. The prestigious award presented
to DJJ’s Medical Director was named for SCP founder Armond Start and specifically
created to address the unique challenges of physicians practicing in correctional
settings.
For more than two decades, Dr. Michelle Staples-Horne MS, MPH, CCHP, has maintained
professional standing as a national leader in public health and clinical care for
vulnerable youth involved in the legal system. She has provided training presentations
for the U.S. Department of Justice, National Institute of Corrections and the Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention.
Her work has been the focus of a CNN article published on correctional physicians.
In 1993, Dr. Staples-Horne was hired by the State of Georgia to develop a health care
system for the Department of Juvenile Justice. At that time, DJJ’s 20 Regional Youth
Detention Centers did not have on-site medical staff and only limited nursing staff
was available at DJJ’s 4 Youth Development Campuses. Dental and behavioral health
services were also unavailable on-site at DJJ secure facilities in 1993. But as a
result of her efforts, by 2008 the Federal Department of Justice identified Georgia
as the leader in health care among juvenile corrections agencies in the United States.
To help preserve Georgia’s national standing, Dr. Staples-Horne has maintained long
standing partnerships with Emory University Rollins School of Public Health and the
Morehouse School of Medicine to successfully obtain grant awards to support additional
services for DJJ youth.
Dr. Staples-Horne has served as President of the Society of Correctional Physicians,
as a member of the American Correctional Association (ACA) Health Care Committee,
and as a member of the Juvenile Health Committee for the National Commission on Correctional
Health Care (NCCHC).
She has authored chapters in 3 books and has been published in medical journals and
periodicals including articles on juvenile justice health care issues in the American
Journal of Preventive Medicine, the Journal of Adolescent Health, Public Health Reports,
Juvenile Justice, Corrections Today, CorrDocs, and the SCP Newsletter.
“The department is very proud of this national recognition Dr. Michelle Staples-Horne
has received for her career work at DJJ,” said Commissioner Avery D. Niles.
“The Armond Start Award for Professional Excellence is presented to recognize dedicated
specialists like her who have made significant contributions to corrections health
care through their work and achievements. Dr. Staples-Horne has helped develop a
unified voice in the field of clinical care for juvenile offender patient populations,”
the Commissioner said.
Jim Shuler, Director