Back to Annual Meeting Page		American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition December 10-14, 2005 Philadelphia, PA

Abstract #117120

Terry Wang, MPH¹, April L. Richardson-Moore, RN, MPH², Jennifer McKeever³, Tony Falvo⁴, James Stodola⁵, Robin MacGowan¹, and Andrew Margolis¹. (1) CDC, 1600 Clifton Road, E48, Atlanta, GA 30333, 404.639.1935, dfw2@cdc.gov, (2) Bureau of Direct Program Operations, New York State Department of Health AIDS Institute, Corning Tower Rm315, Empire State Plaza, Albany, NY 12237, (3) HIV/AIDS Program, Office of Public Health, 234 Loyola Avenue, 5th floor, New Orleans, LA 70112, (4) Bureau of HIV/AIDS, 2585 Merchant’s Row Blvd, 335M, Tallahassee, FL 32399-0070, (5) AIDS/HIV Program, Division of Public Health, 1 W. Wilson Street, Rm 318, P.O. Box 2659, Madison, WI 53701

Background: Persons entering correctional facilities have higher rates of HIV than the general US population. The Rapid HIV testing programs, initiated in January 2004, offer voluntary testing to inmates in jails. Prior to this program few inmates were tested for HIV and most were released before results were available.

Methods: Through these programs, implemented in Florida, Louisiana, New York, and Wisconsin, inmates are informed of the availability of free voluntary rapid HIV testing at intake. Inmates request an HIV test and the session takes approximately 30 minutes. Counseling and Testing Service data are collected on tested inmates. Inmates with a reactive test are offered confirmatory testing, and persons with HIV are referred for prevention, care and treatment services both within and outside the facilities.

Results: By 12/2004, 12686 tests were conducted on inmates over the age of 17. Over 99% of tested inmates were provided with test results. The mean age is 33; 60% are Black/AA; 79% are male; 21% had injected drugs; and 27% had a prior STD. Four percent of men reported MSM as a risk factor. The overall prevalence rate was 1.5% (n=195). Sixty-seven percent (130/195) of the inmates testing positive were unaware of their HIV infections.

Conclusions: Programs were successful in increasing access to HIV testing and notification of test results, and in identifying previously unknown cases of HIV. Programs like these can help to reduce new cases of HIV by providing HIV risk-reduction prevention messages and by identifying and linking infected persons to services.

Learning Objectives:

• The participant will be able to describe how rapid HIV testing programs are implemented in jails to increase access to voluntary testing.
• The participant will be able to describe how counseling and testing service data were used to evaluate a rapid HIV testing program in jails.

Keywords: Screening, Jails and Prisons

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

I wish to disclose that I have NO financial interests or other relationship with the manufactures of commercial products, suppliers of commercial services or commercial supporters.