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[ Recorded presentation ] Recorded presentation

Health and social service needs, expectations, and experiences of HIV+-jailed women

Thomas Bryant III1, Nancy L. Winterbauer, PhD1, Tao Hou, MPH1, Anita Y. Davis, BA1, Paula P. Burns, MSH2, and William C. Livingood, PhD1. (1) Institute for Health, Policy and Evaluation Research, Duval County Health Department, 900 University Blvd, North, Suite 604, Jacksonville, FL 32211, 904 665 2263, Thomas_Bryant@doh.state.fl.us, (2) Regional HIV/AIDS Office, Duval County Health Department, 900 University Blvd. North, Suite 209, Jacksonville, FL 32211

Background: Between June 2001 and September 2003, 52 HIV+ women enrolled in Jail LINC, (Linking Inmates Needing Care), a Centers for Disease Control and Health Resources and Services Administration funded Corrections Demonstration Project (CDP) in a county jail in Florida. The objectives of the CDP were to: increase access to HIV/AIDS primary care/prevention services and improve HIV transitional services, between corrections and the community, primarily through intensive case management. Methods: We used a mixed methods approach to describe the health and social service needs of participants prior to incarceration, as well as their expectations and experiences at discharge. Survey results are complemented by in-depth, qualitative interviews with participants. Results: Participants were severely impacted by the use of crack cocaine (94%). Yet only 21% reported drug or alcohol treatment in the six months prior to incarceration and more than 40% were without a regular source of HIV care. In the month prior to incarceration, 30% of participants had been homeless at least one night, and housing was the most frequently reported discharge need (71%), followed by HIV care/medications (52%). Qualitative data revealed the interplay between women’s experiences prior to incarceration, intervention efforts, and situational dynamics surrounding release. Conclusions: Drug addiction and its sequelae underlie many of the barriers to the health and social service care of HIV+ jailed-women and represents a critical juncture in the transition from jail to community life. This transition is similarly impacted by a gendered social environment, which limits women’s life choices and visions of self-sufficiency.

Learning Objectives: Learning Objectives