(Surname)
Medical Regulatory Body
The Government,
HEALTH PEOPLE2020 PROGRAM TO BE EXTENDED TO THE PRISONS
In Writing Assignment 1, We looked at the health of the imprisoned in the United States jails, prisons and found that among the prisoners there are many incidences of STI’s. For instance, among the prison people there are those living with HIV/AIDS that compounds the health problems affecting the uninfected prisoners. Numerous of such individuals contract the disease before they are passed through the prison system. The inmates are therefore faced with high risks factors of contracting as well as transmitting the disease while in jail thus leading to a social concern, epidemiological concerns. Another social upheaval related to the use of drugs that are injectable, cases of mental illness, prostitutions, poor social economic and education backgrounds. All these are among the factors that are suggested to cause the high rates of the spread of venereal diseases such as HIV/AIDs.
ABSTRACT
Health –related quality of life (HRQoL) consists of a multi-dimensional concept which includes the domains which are connected to physical, psychological, emotional as well as social functioning. The approach under health people 2020 just goes beyond the usual measure that consist of population health, life expectancy and the causes of death, and thus focuses on the effect health status would possibly have on the quality of life.
Introduction
Every county should be closely aligned with the federal leadership when it comes to Health People 2020 which documents the goals for a variety of health outcomes. The counties should use these outcomes to besides developing additional measures for the public health nursing me accordance with the state characteristics and needs. The care for those in the rehabilitation must be given a special consideration, like those in prison.
Under this, the nurses work in at the local levels of public health in the provision of direct service care to the people. For instance, they administer immunizations, monitor patients with TB, provide education to school groups, and provide cancer screens at the same time do tracking of communicable diseases. They serve as the eyes of their communities. This is done as part of the Health-Related Quality of Life and Well-Being. The nurses carry out a variety of responsibilities. For, example, PNH may be full-time employee whose time could be split into 50% cancer screening, 25% with women, infants and children (WIC) program and 25% on medical outreach.
Background and Need
The CDC HIV/AIDS prevention policy recommends that HIV/AIDS testing should be a routine procedure in prison healthcare provision. HIV/ AIDS screening should be conducted especially at points of entry into prison. HIV/AIDS testing should also be conducted prior to prisoner release with periodic voluntary testing being encouraged during time in incarceration (Schaefer, 2010).
Method
HIV/AIDS testing provides personal as well as public health benefits. Early HIV/AIDS care greatly improves the quality of life of infected persons. Testing also reduces the risk of transmission among people who not know of the health status (Schaefer, 2010). HIV/AIDS testing is therefore acceptable and sensible in the provision of healthcare services to prisoners. However, inmates often hesitate testing due to the fear of knowing of their status and the stigma associated with the disease. Inmates also cite the inadequacies of medical confidentiality in prison.
Available and Needed Facilities
Apart from the testing, it will also of paramount importance for these provide with drugs that are geared towards boosting their immunity. For example, if one I tested during entry and found that he or she is at the initial stages of infection, he will be provided with ARVs such that their count on CD4 is boosted above the minimum amount. Second measure will involve providing of education to the prisoners so that they can be aware of the benefits of knowing their status and accepting it, the ways of reducing further transmission. Letting this aside, the issue of drug and substance above will be dealt with through the putting stern rules that are aimed at curbing the spread of drugs in the prisons.
Generally, prisoners are at a high risk of HIV/AIDS infections and transmission of the virus compared to the general US population. In providing health for prisoners, HIV/AIDS testing and care treatment should be encouraged as a matter of social policy. It is important that public health institutions and community based organizations encourage voluntary HIV/AIDS testing among the general population in an effort to enhance HIV/AIDS prevention policies and eradicate epidemiological concerns. Correctional facilities are in a position to greatly improve HIV/AIDS prevention initiatives, appraising both inmate health and community health.
These programs discussed above are majorly government sponsored thus they can be gotten for free of charge. The HIV/AIDs testing program is usually done on a free of charge basis under an initiative broadly referred to as Voluntary Counseling and Testing. This is the reason as to why some of the prisoners do not go ahead into knowing their status due to associated fears a from knowing the status outcome. The ARV’s are also offered by the government through the health workers and the institutions at the facility correctional center. As such, the costs involved in care and control for those infected by the HIV/AIDs disease.
However, the overall burden of costs thus goes down to the government. The central government thus wastes a lot of resources which otherwise would have been utilized in developing other sectors of the economy. Apart from this, the government also has to pay more on the various facilities apart from the drugs, they increasing incidences of the disease also makes the count of the health-care personnel who are incharge of the hospital thus the government has to deploy more of such people to the correctional facilities. Having put this, it is important to note that financial, legal and logistical constraints have served to derail the effectiveness of the CDC policy in the US prison system (CDC, 2014). A high turnover of prisoners presents the logistical constraints while financial constraints are associated with cost cutting measures common in prisons. Healthcare providers in prisons should keep abreast with legal requirements and conform to confidentiality protocols to allow for proper integration of HIV/AIDS testing interventions for inmates.
However, the overall burden of costs thus goes down to the government. The central government thus wastes a lot of resources which otherwise would have been utilized in developing other sectors of the economy. Apart from this, the government also has to pay more on the various facilities apart from the drugs, they increasing incidences of the disease also makes the count of the health-care personnel who are incharge of the hospital thus the government has to deploy more of such people to the correctional facilities.
Conclusion
Having put this, it is important to note that financial, legal and logistical constraints have served to derail the effectiveness of the CDC policy in the US prison system (CDC, 2014). A high turnover of prisoners presents the logistical constraints while financial constraints are associated with cost cutting measures common in prisons. Healthcare providers in prisons should keep abreast with legal requirements and conform to confidentiality protocols to allow for proper integration of HIV/AIDS testing interventions for inmates.
References
Center for Disease Control and Prevention.2014. HIV in Correctional Settings. Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/risk/other/correctional.html
Schaefer, N. 2010. HIV in U.S. jails and prisons: Building a national dialogue for change. Retrieved from http://www.gmhc.org/files/editor/file/a_pa_prison_report0511%281%29.pdf
Wilper, A., Woolhandler, S., Boyd, W., Lasser, K., McCormick, D., Bor, D. H. & Himmelstein, D. U. 2009. The Health and Health Care of US Prisoners: Results of a Nationwide Survey. Am J Public Health. 99(4): 666–672.
ScholarlyEditions.2013.Issues in Disability, Rehabilitation, Wound Treatment, and Disease Management: 2013 Edition.Scholarly Editions
