Rapid HIV Screening in an Urban Jail: How Testing at Exit With Linkage to Community Care Can Address Perceived Barriers.
Despite recommendations from the CDC, only 36 % of jails offer routine HIV screening to inmates. Our purpose was to explore the feasibility of rapid HIV testing at release from an urban jail, and to identify potential barriers to this process. This project was incorporated into an established partnership between the jail, local academic medical center, and local public health department. We offered rapid HIV testing at the time of release to 507 jail inmates over a 7 week period of 2013. Three hundred and two (60 %) inmates elected testing. All participating inmates received individual test counseling, HIV prevention education, and linkage to care in the community prior to release. All tested inmates received results before release; one inmate screened positive for HIV and was linked to care. Previous HIV testing was the most frequently cited reason given (60 %) among the 205 inmates who declined at the time of the study. Utilizing the partnership between the jail, public health, and an academic medical center, we found that rapid HIV testing at exit was feasible and acceptable in this urban jail setting and could provide immediate linkage to care for those in need.
Department of Pediatrics, Division of Infectious Diseases, University of Nebraska Medical Center, 982162 Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, 68198-2162, USA. kasimonsen@unmc.edu.
Kari A
KA
Simonsen
Department of Health Promotion, Social and Behavioral Health, College of Public Health, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, USA.
Raees A
RA
Shaikh
Douglas County Department of Corrections, Omaha, NE, USA.
Mary
M
Earley
Douglas County Department of Corrections, Omaha, NE, USA.
Mark
M
Foxall
Department of Health Promotion, Social and Behavioral Health, College of Public Health, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, USA.
Cole
C
Boyle
Department of Epidemiology, College of Public Health, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, USA.
K M
KM
Islam
Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services, Lincoln, NE, USA.
Heather
H
Younger
Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, USA.
Uriel
U
Sandkovsky
Douglas County Health Department, Omaha, NE, USA.
Elizabeth
E
Berthold
Department of Health Promotion, Social and Behavioral Health, College of Public Health, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, USA.
Ruth
R
Margalit
D015492:AIDS Serodiagnosis / Q000379:methods / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D000328:Adult; D003153:Community Health Services / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000592:standards*; D003266:Continuity of Patient Care / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000592:standards*; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D007373:Interinstitutional Relations; D008297:Male; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000379:methods / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D010353:Patient Education as Topic / Q000379:methods; D015995:Prevalence; D011329:Prisoners / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011330:Prisons / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012309:Risk-Taking; D012725:Sexual Behavior / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D014504:Urban Health
HIV testing; HIV/AIDS; Incarceration; Jails