ONDCP Excel Thirty-Eighth Row

Action Item Number:

3.2.E

Action Item Name:

Seek, Test, and Treat HIV in the Criminal Justice System

Action Item Description:

Providing highly active anti-retroviral therapy (HAART) and addiction treatment concurrently could make a huge public health impact, particularly with HIV-positive, drug-using populations who have poor access to health services.

Incarcerated criminal offenders are one such high-risk group: Half of State and Federal prisoners meet criteria for alcohol or drug addiction, and approximately 14 percent of all HIV-infected people pass annually through the criminal justice system. Building on CDC’s expanding HIV testing initiative, NIDA will support work to develop and test strategies for identifying individuals who have not recently been tested (seek), provide HIV testing to them (test), and initiate, monitor, and maintain HAART therapy for those who test positive (treat), along with providing evidence-based treatment for addiction. Parallel treatment of HIV and addiction will follow a chronic care model of disease treatment and follow CDC recommendations for the initiation of HAART. HHS intends that this initiative will not only expand access to HIV testing for those in the criminal justice system, but will improve the provision and maintenance of HAART after community reentry.

Lead Agency:

HHS

Component(s):

NIDA