This workshop focuses on baseline and longitudinal outcomes at three sites of a 5-year HRSA demonstration grant that enhanced linkages to care for HIV-positive jail detainees. To a far greater degree than prisons, jails are porous facilities engaged in dynamic interactions with their communities, much like emergency rooms, shelters, or train stations. Twenty-five percent of all HIV-infected Americans pass through the U.S. correctional system annually. We present the case of three jail-based programs (RI, MA, OH) that enhanced HIV testing and medical services, established mental health and case management, and successfully linked inmates to services after they were released. These programs illustrate the effectiveness and best practices for creating successful linkages to critically needed services for inmates once they are released, and ultimately to reducing viral load and improving the overall health of this vulnerable group.
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