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By Hannah Branch & Sofia Bartlett SEPTEMBER 26, 2022, CATIE Blog People who have experienced incarceration are disproportionately affected by sexually transmittedRead more
COVID-19
You Matter
COVID-19
The ADVANCE COVID-19 Vaccines Study conducted focus groups and surveys with people with lived and living experience of incarceration during the COVID-19 pandemic to gain a better understanding of the experiences of people in prison during this time, as well as their knowledge, attitudes and beliefs about COVID-19 and vaccines.
We share here the learnings, outcomes and outputs from this study, including tailored COVID-19 educational resources developed with people in prison.
Downloadable resources developed as part of the ADVANCE Study
During focus groups and in surveys conducted as part of the ADVANCE Study, we learned from people in custody that the COVID-19 pandemic has created additional stress for them. Being incarcerated during the pandemic has been more isolating than periods in custody previously were, because there is less programming offered in correctional centres from outside organisations, and visits were completely suspended for sometime. Isolation and loneliness can exacerbate or trigger mental health issues for many people, and without support, many people can feel helpless. In order to try to support people in custody to access services that may be able to assist in these situations, we created a resource list of phone lines available in BC. The list is up to date as of November 2022.
During focus groups and in surveys conducted as part of the ADVANCE Study, we asked people in custody about their reasons for not being vaccinated. Many people said they avoid needles unless absolutely necessary, as they find them triggering or create unpleasant feelings. So we worked with people who have been incarcerated to come up with ways to cope with ‘needle hate’. We also looked to peer-reviewed, published evidence and guidelines about how healthcare providers can improve the experience of being vaccinated for people who fear or dislike needles. We put all of this information together in a comic, because people who are incarcerated told us that this would be a medium they would find engaging and accessible. While the strategies suggested in this comic may not work for everyone, the conversation that is depicted can serve as a model for how an individual can ask for the accommodations that would work for them, or that they would prefer, when they are getting vaccinated.
During focus groups and in surveys conducted as part of the ADVANCE Study, we asked people in custody about their reasons for not being vaccinated. Many people we heard from said they had heard a lot of myths and conspiracy theories about COVID-19 and vaccinations while they were incarcerated. We also asked about how they would like to get information, and who they trust information from , and many said they like to read comic strips. So we created this comic to bust some of the common myths we heard, and show these in a conversation. The educational resources created from the ADVANCE Study are specifically aiming not to try to convince or coerce people who are incarcerated to make a certain choice about whether or not to be vaccinated, but trying to encourage them to be informed when they make their choice. Informed decisions are decisions that are based on facts and evidence, not objective opinions, myths or rumours.
We asked people who were incarcerated provincially in British Columbia what myths they have heard about COVID-19 and vaccines. We collected these all together to make a list of the most frequently heard myths. We then asked experts to help ‘bust the myths’, then put all this info into these posters. We got feedback about the way the info on the posters was worded, as well we the design and overall look of the posters from people who were incarcerated provincially in British Columbia, to help us make the posters as easy to understand, as appealing as possible.
We asked people who were incarcerated provincially in British Columbia what questions they have about COVID-19 and vaccines. We collected these all together to make a list of the most frequently asked questions. We then asked experts to help answer these questions, then put all this info into these posters. We got feedback about the way the info on the posters was worded, as well we the design and overall look of the posters from people who were incarcerated provincially in British Columbia, to help us make the posters as easy to understand, as appealing as possible.
We conducted a focus group at the very beginning of the study with People Who Have Lived Experience of Incarceration who worked as Peer Health Mentors, supporting people in prison or recently released from prison in BC during the COVID-19 pandemic, to refine the study objectives, methodology and approach. We had a graphical summary of that focus group created, which explains what people in prison were coping with during the COVID-19 pandemic, and how educational approaches should be tailored to the needs and preferences of people who are incarcerated.
We created this infographic to explain why prisons need to receive adequate attention and support to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic.
This infographic illustrates the cyclical way that infections such as SARS-CoV-2 can become highly prevalent among people who are incarcerated, and how this will ultimately impact overall population health.
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By Webmaster | Comments are ClosedBy Hannah Branch July 28 is World Hepatitis Day. This year’s campaign theme is ‘I can’t wait,’ highlighting the need to accelerateRead more
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By Webmaster | Comments are Closed“The beginning of the pandemic was really challenging for everyone, including people in corrections,” says Pam Young, manager with Unlocking the GatesRead more
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By Sofia Bartlett PhD | Comments are ClosedBy Sofia Bartlett Megaphone magazine ran an article in their September 2022 issue on Test Link Call (TLC) Project. Check the articleRead more
Project Updates
STBBI Policy and Guideline
Development for BC Corrections
The You Matter Pathways to STBBI Care project is funded through the Public Health Agency of Canada …
Test, Link,
Call Project
We recently received funding for the Test, Link, Call (TLC) Project which will be launched in Fall 2021 …
Upcoming Events
American Association for the Study of
Liver Diseases (Digital Conference)
Date: Nov 12-15, 2021
Link to conference
https://www.aasld.org/the-liver-meeting/program/digital-experience
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