The University of Massachusetts Amherst and Tufts Medical Center are conducting a study to provide HIV prevention, diagnosis and treatment for people with opioid use disorders who are incarcerated in the Boston area. The study is funded with a $4.74 million CONNECT grant from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
Elizabeth Evans, professor of community health education in the UMass Amherst School of Public Health and Health Sciences, and Dr. Alysse Wurcel, a physician and infectious disease consultant for the Massachusetts Sheriffs Association, will collaborate to lead the research. Many people with opioid use disorder pass through carceral and legal systems.
Improved access to high-quality, evidence-based treatment for HIV and other infectious diseases in justice settings is critical to addressing the overdose crisis." Elizabeth Evans, professor of community health education, UMass Amherst School of Public Health and Health Sciences Dr. Wurcel adds, "We're trying to increase the number of incarcerated people who are tested and treated.
Overall people who are incarcerated are more likely to test positive for HIV than people who are not incarcerated. By the CDC guidelines, anyone in jail is at risk." Those who test positive should be given treatment and those who test negative should be offered pre-exposure HIV medications to prevent the disease.
Treatment and prevention while incarcerated involves taking medication every.