The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA

Abstract #35811

Kimberly Jacob Arriola, MPH, PhD¹, Sandra Tarlow², Phylliss Isberg², and Veronica Sanders, MSW³. (1) Behavioral Sciences & Health Education, Rollins School of Public Health of Emory University, 1518 Clifton Road, NE, Room 510, Atlanta, GA 30322, (404) 727-2600, kjacoba@sph.emory.edu, (2) Ruah, Breath of Life, Inc., 965 Massachusetts Avenue, Boston, MA 02118, (3) Hyacinth AIDS Foundation, 78 New Street, 2nd Floor, New Brunswick, NJ 08901

US correctional facilities have the highest concentration of individuals infected with HIV/AIDS in the nation. Although females comprise less than 10% of the incarcerated population, a greater proportion of them are HIV-infected than males (Maruschak, 2001). Many HIV-infected female inmates receive medical treatment and care while incarcerated (though some are hesitant to seek HIV specific services because of stigma), but face challenges surrounding medical and prenatal care, mental health care, employment, housing, childcare, and substance abuse treatment upon release. Moreover, female caretakers face additional difficulty accessing the needed services because of competing priorities. In 1999, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Health Resources and Services Administration funded seven public health departments to improve continuity of care for HIV-infected inmates transitioning into the community. This presentation will highlight discharge planning and case management services offered by three community-based organizations contracted to serve soon-to-be-released female inmates under this initiative. They are Ruah Breath of Life in MA, Hyacinth AIDS Foundation in NJ, and the Women’s Prison Association in NY. These three state grantees served 305 female clients in the facility (199 were also served in the community after release) between July 1, 2000 and September 30, 2001. Clients’ greatest need upon release was for medical care and stable housing. Preliminary analyses of clients’ health status, health care utilization, and self-reported medication adherence at 3-6 months post-release will be presented. This presentation will highlight the need for HIV-infected female inmates to have comprehensive medical and social services upon release.

Learning Objectives:

• To provide an overview of the problem of HIV among female inmates of US prisons;
• To describe the case management and discharge planning services offered by two community based organizations (in MA and NY) to HIV-infected female prison inmates who are transitioning into the community;
• To describe the social and medical services that HIV-infected female prison inmates were greatest in need of upon being released back into the community;
• To document the health outcomes of HIV-infected female inmates who had received community case management for up to six months.

Keywords: Access to Health Care, Women and HIV/AIDS

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.