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Health Education for Staff and Inmates: Can We Afford Not to Teach It?

NCJ Number
136399
Journal
American Jails Volume: 6 Issue: 1 Dated: (March/April 1992) Pages: 18-20
Author(s)
D Donaldson
Date Published
1992
Length
3 pages
Annotation
This article recounts the implementation and ongoing development of the AIDS education program organized in the spring of 1988 in the Arlington County (Virginia) Detention Center.
Abstract
The National Institute of Justice suggested guidelines for dealing with all aspects of AIDS in a correctional setting and the recent National Commission on AIDS report on "HIV Disease in Correctional Facilities" provide the basis for Arlington County's AIDS education program. The program began with a weekly one- to two-hour live presentation for each male and female intake unit which could include a video, slides or pictures, and a question and answer period. A discussion of other sexually transmitted diseases was incorporated after 6 months. Once the local health department provided a 24-hour per week AIDS outreach worker at the beginning of 1989, a 6-to-8-week health education module was designed for 20 to 30 inmates. The AIDS outreach worker has expanded his program to include a focus on behavorial change, individual counseling, and other relevant health issues. 4 notes