Oral

Incarcerated women have distinctive health care needs that are often overlooked by health professionals. Meeting these distinct needs requires special attention and innovative approaches to treatment, health education, and health promotion programming. In this session, presenters will elucidate the health care issues and needs of women both in prison and after leaving prison. Methods of conducting a needs assessment of incarcerated women will be described. Presenters will discuss the need for gender responsiveness training for correctional facility staff to better meet the needs of incarcerated women and girls, as well as using an interactive, learner-centered, culturally appropriate educational program to improve incarcerated women’s health, the health of their families, and to reduce recidivism. The necessity of incorporating content knowledge along with negotiation and self empowerment skills in a sexual health education program for incarcerated women will also be reviewed.

Session Objectives: 1. Articulate the importance of providing gender responsive services for women and girls in prison. 2. Identify barriers women face in accessing health resources during and after incarceration. 3. Identify key components of successful health education programming for women in prison. 4. Describe a process of collecting health needs assessment data on women in prison. 5. Articulate the importance of integrating content knowledge (reproductive anatomy; HIV prevention) with negotiation skills, self-esteem, and self empowerment when delivering sexuality education to populations who are disproportionately served.

CE Credits: CME, Health Education (CHES), Nursing