NCJ Number
121024
Date Published
1989
Length
67 pages
Annotation
Cooperation between the New York Department of Correctional Services (DOCS) and the Department of Health (DOH) in designing and implementing a strong quality assurance program for the provision of prison health care services is recommended, as is increased State funding to provide such services to the growing number of HIV-infected inmates.
Abstract
An effective allocation of resources requires the creation of two new secure hospital wards as well as Skilled Nursing Facilities and Health Related Facilities for inmates needing less intensive care. Neither long-term nor acute care facilities should be AIDS specific. DOCS and DOH should collaborate with the Department of Mental Health to encourage providers to treat inmates with AIDS and to set appropriate standards and reimbursement rates. This report opposes segregation of infected inmates and notes the need for counseling, testing, and training of medical staff to deal with non-segregated facilities. Prisoners should be eligible for clinical trials, and terminally ill patients should have opportunities for release if they pose no danger to society. Given the connections between HIV infection and drug abuse, drug treatment centers should be established in all State prisons. The study recommends that psychiatric personnel and programs be made available to deal with the mental health problems associated with AIDS. Women in prison face a number of special problems related to AIDS including education about perinatal transmission and the effects of substance abuse during pregnancy. If the Commissioner of Health determines that HIV infection transmission is occurring within the prison, condoms should be made available to male inmates. Prisoners must be able to make autonomous medical decisions, including voluntary rejection or acceptance of care. HIV education for both staff and inmates must be culturally appropriate, accurate, and intelligible, and prisoners should be involved in curriculum development. DOCS and DOH need to organize education, counseling, and testing programs for corrections officers and their families. Confidential and anonymous testing and counseling should be made available to the maximum number of prisoners, and HIV-infected inmates should be allowed family and conjugal visits and provided appropriate educational materials. 83 references.