Lessons Learned from the Pathways to Community Health Study to Evaluate the Transition of Care from Jail to Community for Men with HIV

RIvER Clinic: Rethinking Incarceration and Empowering Recovery-An Innovative Postincarceration Care Delivery Model Implemented During the COVID-19 Pandemic

The Rethinking Incarceration and Empowering Recovery (RIvER) Clinic was launched in June 2021 to address the health disparities experienced during and after incarceration. The RIvER Clinic's multidisciplinary, community-centered team engages patients during jail detention and after release via telehealth, collocated in community locations, on a mobile van, and in clinic. The clinic serves as a bridge between incarceration and the establishment of permanent health care and social services in the community. In 2022, a total of 479 visits were completed. The clinic provided multidisciplinary substance use support to all eligible patients, paying for 104 medication for opioid use disorder (MOUD) prescriptions for uninsured patients. Twenty-five percent of patients were transitioned to community-based care, and less than 5% of patients were reincarcerated. Despite some limitations, results demonstrate that the RIvER Clinic is successfully reintegrating a marginalized population into its community. The purpose of this article is to describe the implementation and preliminary outcomes of this postincarceration clinic.

"Shared experience makes this all possible": documenting the guiding principles of peer-led services for people released from prison

BACKGROUND

There is a growing body of evidence demonstrating the effectiveness of peer-led services in supporting community reintegration for people released from prison. This study aims to document the guiding principle of a peer-led service for people released from prison, from the perspective of peer mentors.

METHODS

Data were collected using focus groups (N = 10; 2 groups with 5 participants each) and one-on-one interviews (N = 5) including a total of 13 people, representing all UTGSS staff at the time of the study. An inductive thematic analysis was used to identify patterns in the data. Initial coding was done by using "in-vivo" codes (i.e. applying codes to terms used by participants). This informed the direction of the next stage of analysis, which focused on identifying categories that synthesized the codes and data across transcripts. In this stage, broad themes and sub-themes were developed.

FINDINGS

Six themes were constructed to reflect the guiding principles of UTGSS staff. This includes four central themes: 1) Offering hope; 2) Building respectful relationships; 3) Providing consistent support; 4) Meeting people where they are at. Two connected themes are also reported: 1) Relying on shared experience, which participants reported serves as the foundation for practicing these guiding principles and 2) Bridging connections to services, which reflects the outcome of practicing these guiding principles.

CONCLUSION

The principles identified in this study can be used by UTGSS staff as a guide for checking-in on progress with clients and may be considered as a model for reflection on practice by staff providing similar peer-led services. These principles should not be applied in a prescriptive way, as relationship building is at the centre of peer support, and different applications will be required depending on clients' goals and the range of supports available within their community.

Considerations of Left Ventricular Assist Device Therapy in the United States' Prison System

Left ventricular assist device therapy for advanced heart failure is contraindicated if a patient lives in an unsafe environment and recent guidelines declare that "legal history is pertinent for determining personal constraints or financial responsibilities due to parole requirements, pending charges, and possible imprisonment," implying that incarceration would be a contraindication. International guidelines and precedent in the United States establish that medical care for incarcerated persons should match access in the community. We present a case example and practical considerations for advanced heart failure programs faced with the challenge of partnering with patients with heart failure who may be incarcerated and their correctional health systems in the care of their chronic condition. We encourage the heart failure community to not let incarceration be a contraindication to left ventricular assist device therapy.

Diagnosis, Treatment, and Prevention of HIV Infection among Detainees: A Review of the Literature

Detainees are one of the most vulnerable populations to human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). This is mostly caused by the lack of knowledge on the topic among the inmates; the lack of prophylaxis; the high percentage of risky behaviors in jail, such as sexual abuse, unprotected sexual intercourses, and injective drug use; and the generally low perception of the risk of transmission. It has also been observed that the problem does not cease to exist at the moment of release, but it also may be aggravated by the weak support system or the total absence of programs for people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) to avoid discontinuation of antiretroviral drugs. Difficulty in providing housing and jobs and, therefore, a form of stability for ex-detainees, also contributes to none adherence to antiretroviral therapy. Among the detainees, there are also categories of people more susceptible to discrimination and violence and, therefore, to risky behaviors, such as black people, Hispanics, transgender people, and men who have sex with men (MSM). We reviewed the literature in order to provide a more complete picture on the situation of PLWHA in jail and to also analyze the difficulties of ex-detainees in adhering to HIV therapy.

Lessons from +LOVE, Improving HIV Care for Black Men Who Have Sex with Men in New Orleans Using an Integrated Behavioral Health Crisis Support Model of Care

Black men who have sex with men (BMSM) experience higher rates of HIV infection than other groups. They also face disparities in linkage and retention to HIV care, as well as in viral suppression. To address the needs of the BMSM population living with HIV, we developed a novel intervention program (+LOVE), which integrated case management with behavioral health/crisis support. The intervention consisted of (1) a dedicated therapist; (2) an SMS (text message)-based engagement program, CareSignal that provided medication reminders and administered routine ecological momentary assessments (EMAs); (3) a triage crisis coordinator to respond to alerts generated by the EMA responses; and (4) a case manager. This study assessed the additional impact of the first three components of the intervention (a dedicated therapist, text messaging application, along with a triage crisis coordinator), compared with the fourth component alone, the current standard of care (a case manager) on access to HIV care, antiretroviral therapy (ART) adherence, and viral suppression. Analyzing electronic medical record data, survey data, and EMA response data extracted from CareSignal, we found that those who engaged in the behavioral health therapy had higher odds of remaining in HIV care than those who only engaged with the case manager. We also found that increased engagement with CareSignal led to an increased probability of achieving positive HIV-related health outcomes. Our results suggest that an integrated behavioral health/crisis support model of intervention integrated with case managementincreased positive outcomes over case management alone.

Interventions Designed to Improve HIV Continuum of Care Outcomes for Persons with HIV in Contact with the Carceral System in the USA

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

To describe existing evidence and identify future directions for intervention research related to improving HIV care outcomes for persons with HIV involved in the carceral system in the USA, a population with high unmet HIV care needs.

RECENT FINDINGS

Few recent intervention studies focus on improving HIV care outcomes for this population. Successful strategies to improve care outcomes include patient navigation, substance use treatment, and incentivizing HIV care outcomes. Technology-supported interventions are underutilized in this population. Notable gaps in the existing literature include intervention research addressing HIV care needs for cisgender and transgender women and those under carceral supervision in the community. Future research should address existing gaps in the literature and respond to emergent needs including understanding how the changing HIV care delivery environment resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic and the approval of new injectable ART formulation shape HIV care outcomes in this population.

Patient, medical and legal perspectives on reentry: the need for a low-barrier, collaborative, patient-centered approach

BACKGROUND

Worldwide, the United States has the highest incarceration rate per capita. Thousands of people are released from US correctional facilities each year, including many who are impacted by HIV infection and substance use disorder (SUD), two frequently comorbid conditions that present multiple challenges upon reentry. Reentry and care engagement research involving justice-involved people with HIV (PWH) with comorbid SUD has been largely limited to the perspective of those released. To formulate effective interventions for this population aimed at maintaining health and reducing recidivism, it is crucial to collect data from formerly incarcerated individuals with firsthand experience of the reentry process as well as other actors within the reentry framework. Insights from medical and legal service providers working in reentry systems have the potential to address key implementation concerns. To inform an intervention aimed at helping recently-released individuals PWH and SUD, we conducted a qualitative study to assess barriers and facilitators to community reentry from the perspectives of diverse consumers and providers of medical, legal, and reentry services.

RESULTS

Fifteen stakeholders within XXX County participated in in-person interviews. Results indicated that 1) Patients/clients emphasized psychosocial support and individual attitude more than medical and legal participants, who chiefly focused on logistical factors such as finances, housing, and transportation; 2) Patients/clients expressed both medical and legal needs during the reentry period, though medical providers and participants from legal entities mainly expressed concerns limited to their respective scopes of work; 3) All three participant groups underscored the need for a low-barrier, collaborative, patient-centered approach to reentry with the goal of achieving self-sufficiency.

CONCLUSIONS

Findings support and extend existing literature detailing the barriers and facilitators to successful reentry. Our findings underscore the notion that an effective reentry intervention addresses both medical and legal needs, includes an individualized approach that incorporates psychosocial needs, and focuses on establishing self-sufficiency.