Grant to Help Florida Jail Care for Inmates with AIDS

Indian River, Fla., county jail inmates with AIDS would be better off in a Florida state prison, say public health, legal and law enforcement representatives. The Florida prison system has state-of-the-art AIDS treatment available. Prison inmates receive medication while incarcerated, and upon release get a 30-day supply of medication and a referral to the public health department in the city where they are going to live, said Nancy L. Heinrich, human services program manager coordinator at the Indian River County Health Department. At the county jail, however, medical care for HIV-infected inmates "historically hasn't been good," Heinrich said.

Heinrich received word last Thursday that she has received a $36,413 grant from the Florida Department of Health to implement jail screening, education and links with outside medical providers. The program seeks to increase by 50 percent the number of inmates who request testing to ascertain their HIV status and to provide post-release treatment planning for 100 percent of infected inmates. One of the biggest problems at the jail -- where there are typically six to 10 HIV-infected inmates on any given day -- is interruption of an AIDS patient's medications, Heinrich said. Education is also a key part of Heinrich's plan, which calls for inmates to be given the opportunity to attend a series of classes that would focus on health education, risk reduction and skill-building. "We've never done anything like this," said Heinrich. "This [plan] will help keep people from falling between the cracks."

Back to other CDC news for October 17, 2001

Previous Updates