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Guidelines

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You Matter

Policies & Guidelines

The You Matter Project: Pathways to care for STBBIs.

A guideline and policy recommendations for STBBI testing and linkage to care in British Columbia Provincial Correctional Settings | Download a PDF of the guidelines and  recommendations here

 

Prior to this project, there were no publicly available STBBI opt-out or universal testing and linkage to care policies and guidelines for any provincial corrections institutions in Canada. Although STBBI screening is available on request in correctional centres across Canada, without accepted best practices for opt-out or universal STBBI testing and linkage to care, there is inconsistent implementation of pre- and post-test STBBI counselling in corrections, and STBBI tests during reception at corrections are not universally or even routinely offered in many facilities, resulting in poor linkage to care for STBBIs among PWAI.

The development of these foundational policies and guidelines for opt-out or universal STBBI testing and linkage to care in corrections at reception aims to create accountability frameworks, streamline care pathways, reduce the occurrence of unintended harms, and increase the likelihood that PWAI will have positive experiences when engaging in healthcare.

These were developed with input from health care workers, corrections staff, and PWAI, with the aim to catalyze system changes in how health care services are provided in correctional institutions – by ensuring staff are well-educated in violence and trauma-informed care[1], cultural safety[2], meaningful consent[3], and non-stigmatizing protocols around testing[4].

Adherence to these policies and guidelines for opt-out or universal STBBI testing and linkage to care at reception could: (a) enhance the participation and success of the implementation of opt-out or universal STBBI testing and linkage to care by Correctional Health Services; (b) improve PWAI linkage to care for STBBIs; (c) facilitate broader system-level changes in provincial corrections pertaining to health services engagement, such as reduced stigma and increased violence and trauma informed care; (d) facilitate PWAI engagement in health care services upon re-entry to community, including for addictions-related care, and (e) serve as a model of change that could be adapted for other Canadian regions or internationally.

To ensure that policies and guidelines incorporate and balance experiences and preferences of PWAI/PWUD and corrections staff, this project included consultations, interactive workshops, and communications with: PWAI and people with experience of incarceration, BC’s Correctional Health Services staff, and BC Corrections staff.

References

1. Trauma-Informed Social Policy: A Conceptual Framework for Policy Analysis and Advocacy (Bowen EA & Murshid NS)
     2016 | American Journal of Public Health | Available online

2. Toward cultural safety: nurse and patient perceptions of illicit substance use in a hospitalized setting (Pauly et al.)
     2015 | Advances in Nursing Science | Available online

3. HIV testing and treatment with correctional populations: people, not prisoners (Seal et al.)
     2010 | Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved | Available online

4. Behind closed doors, no one sees, no one knows’: hepatitis C, stigma and treatment-as-prevention in prison (Rance et al.)
     2018 | Crititcal Public Health | Available online

5. Barriers and facilitators to hepatitis C (HCV) screening and treatment-a description of prisoners’ perspective (Crowley et al.)
     2019 | Harm Reduction Journal | Available online

6. Blueprint to inform hepatitis C elimination efforts in Canada (The Canadian Network on Hepatitis C Blueprint Writing Committee and Working Groups)
     2019 | CanHepC | Available online

7. Guidance to Support Opt-Out Blood Borne Virus Testing in Scottish Prisons (NHS Scotland & Scottish Prison Service)
     2019 | NHS | Available online

8. Guidelines for Family Physicians Working with Formerly Incarcerated (Collaborating Centre for Prison Health and Education)
     2017 | CCPHE | Available online

9. Hepatitis C virus screening and treatment in Irish prisons from nurse managers’ perspectives – a qualitative exploration (Crowley et. al.)
     2
018 | BMC Nursing |  Available online

10. Jail: Time for testing -Institute a Jail-based HIV Testing Program (Altice,et. al)
     2010 | Yale University School of Medicine | Available online

11. PROS & CONS: A Guide to Creating Successful Community-Based HIV and HCV Programs for Prisoners (Second Edition) (Prisoners with HIV/AIDS Support Action Network)
     2011 | PASAN | Available online

12. Public Health Guidance on HIV, Hepatitis B and C Testing in the EU/EEA (European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control
     2018 | ECDC | Available online

You Matter

NEWS & STORIES

The News & Stories page include blogs written by team members, news, project updates and past and upcoming events.

  • Blogs
  • Media / Press
  • Project Updates
  • Event Calendar

Blogs

  • You Matter: Pathways to care for STBBIs for people who have been incarcerated

    By Webmaster | Comments are Closed

    By Hannah Branch & Sofia Bartlett SEPTEMBER 26, 2022, CATIE Blog People who have experienced incarceration are disproportionately affected by sexually transmittedRead more

  • World Hepatitis Day 2022

    By Webmaster | Comments are Closed

    By Hannah Branch July 28 is World Hepatitis Day. This year’s campaign theme is ‘I can’t wait,’ highlighting the need to accelerateRead more

Media / Press

  • Making a real difference: People who are incarcerated help peers get immunized for COVID-19

    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

  • Megaphone magazine September 2022 issue features article on Test Link Call Project!

    By Sofia Bartlett PhD | Comments are Closed

    By 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 …

DETAILS

Test, Link,
Call Project

We recently received funding for the Test, Link, Call (TLC) Project which will be launched in Fall 2021 …

DETAILS

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

  • Benefits of DAA treatment on mortality related to extrahepatic manifestations among people who inject drugs: a population-based study in British Columbia, Canada
  • Hepatitis C virus reinfection after successful treatment with direct acting antiviral therapy in Canada
  • Hepatitis C screening



In partnership with the BCCDC, BCMHSUS, UBC and other
stakeholders, we created a group that has been working on
transformative projects to improve health outcomes for
people in prison related to STBBIs.

PROJECTS

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  • STBBI Policy and Guideline Development for BC Corrections
  • Test, Link, Call Project
  • ADVANCE COVID-19 Vaccines Study
  • ASSESS-DBS Study

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