HIV/AIDS Capacity Building Assistance Efforts in Correctional Healthcare

In response to the overwhelming rates of HIV/AIDS in the prison population and the challenges that recently released individuals face in establishing a healthy lifestyle that includes HIV preventive behaviors, the National Minority AIDS Council (NMAC) started the Prison Initiative, which encourages coordinated and effective discharge planning and HIV prevention services for HIV-positive inmates and recent released prisoners to alleviate poor health outcomes for them, their partners and their communities. This initiative provides capacity building assistance, HIV/AIDS education and resources to correctional institutions, service providers and the community-based organizations (CBOs) serving minorities.

Through the Prison Initiative, NMAC provides organizations with the knowledge and skills necessary to improve organizational capacity to enhance discharge planning efforts, deliver HIV prevention services and encourage a seamless continuum of HIV/AIDS care services to African Americans who are or were recently imprisoned. These trainings also provide participants with other benefits as well such as an opportunity to network. Many participants listed networking as one of the most useful components of the training. Networking opportunities like these allow participants to increase valuable resources, develop lasting partnerships and build support networks that aid in the success of their programs and services.