Corrections Health Initiative

Assistance for incarcerated individuals and re-entrants

Helping incarcerated individuals and re-entrants live healthier lives

OUR CORRECTIONS HEALTH INITIATIVE (CHI) PROVIDES RESOURCES AND SERVICES TO INCARCERATED INDIVIDUALS IN DESIGNATED NEW YORK STATE CORRECTIONAL FACILITIES AND COMMUNITY-BASED ORGANIZATIONS THROUGHOUT NEW YORK STATE.

With the goal of preventing new HIV and hepatitis C infections, CHI staff members educate incarcerated individuals on how to maintain a healthy lifestyle and offer referrals to reentry services throughout New York State.

CHI Linkage Specialists provide linkage and navigation services to incarcerated individuals living with HIV and/or hepatitis C, as well as re-entrants living with HIV, to ensure and support linkage to medical care and other needed services with the goals of viral suppression, access to treatment, and increased health literacy.

Our Services

While in a facility

Group level interventions
30-session voluntary Peer Education Training
Transitional planning and Care Management (for incarcerated individuals living with HIV and/or HCV)
Education on stigma, transmission, and prevention of HIV and hepatitis C

After incarceration

Transitional planning and Care Management (for individuals released from incarceration and living with HIV)
Referrals and support services for community client’s partners, family, friends, and other community associates
Education on stigma, transmission, and prevention of HIV and hepatitis C

Statewide services

Distribution of Health Research Packets to all individuals released from incarceration
Annual provider conference to enable contracted CHI Community Based Organizations and DOCCS stakeholders to collaborate, network, and share resources
Distribution of resources and materials for Peer Educators currently incarcerated in designated NYS Correctional Facilities

How do I qualify?

To qualify for 30-session Peer Education Training, you must

Be incarcerated in the Great Meadow Hub (Coxsackie, Great Meadow, Greene, Hudson, and Washington Correctional Facilities) or the Clinton Hub (Adirondack, Altona, Bare Hill, Clinton, Franklin, and Upstate Correctional Facilities)

To qualify for In-Facility Linkage and Navigation services, you must

Living with HIV/AIDS and/or hepatitis C AND
Be incarcerated in and releasing within 3 months from one of the following Correctional Facilities: Adirondack, Altona, Bare Hill, Clinton, Coxsackie, Franklin, Great Meadow, Greene, Hudson, Upstate, Washington

To qualify for Community Linkage and Navigation Services, you must

Living with HIV/AIDS AND
Be returning from or have been released from incarceration in the last 18 months to one of the following counties: Albany, Clinton, Columbia, Essex, Franklin, Fulton, Greene, Hamilton, Montgomery, Rensselaer, Saratoga, Schenectady, Schoharie, Warren, Washington

Frequently Asked Questions

What facilities do I have to be incarcerated in to receive services?

Our Albany location services the Great Meadow Hub. This includes Coxsackie, Great Meadow, Greene, Hudson, and Washington Correctional Facilities. Our Plattsburgh location services the Clinton Hub. This includes Adirondack, Altona, Bare Hill, Clinton, Franklin, and Upstate Correctional Facilities.

Where do you have transitional planning and care management services?

Our In-Facility Linkage Specialists provide services directly to incarcerated individuals in the Correctional Facilities we serve. Our Community Linkage Specialists provide services to reentrants throughout our entire 15-county catchment region.

Albany, Clinton, Columbia, Essex, Franklin, Fulton, Greene, Hamilton, Montgomery, Rensselaer, Saratoga, Schenectady, Schoharie, Warren, and Washington counties

I have a family member returning from incarceration, can you help them?

If they are living with HIV and/or Hepatitis C, releasing from any Correctional Facility within the Great Meadow or Clinton Hubs and/or releasing to any of our 15 catchment counties, they would be eligible for our Linkage and Navigation services.

Are there services like this in other areas or correctional facilities in New York State?

Yes! We work with a network of other Community Based Organizations (CBO’s) like ours throughout the state, that provide most of the SAME services for incarcerated individuals and re-entrants. This is great if our clients get transferred, or released to a different location in the state, as well as ensuring continuity of care. We are always happy to provide a referral or connect you with the appropriate CHI CBO if needed.

How can someone I know, incarcerated sign up for peer education training?

Incarcerated individuals can speak/write to their Offender Rehabilitation Coordinator (ORC) or write directly to our Plattsburgh or Albany offices. Letters should be written to the attention of the Corrections Health Initiative.

How will peer Education help an individual incarcerated and after release?

Peer education provides opportunities for participants to learn public speaking, group facilitation, and other transferrable skills. Throughout the duration of the class, participants speak on topics such as cultural awareness, humility, and stigma, in relation to HIV/STIs/HCV and other social determinants of health. The program also allows graduates of the program to educate other incarcerated persons about HIV/STIs/HCV. Once graduated and released, the participants can contact and connect with CBOs across the state to see if their knowledge and skills can be utilized in the workplace setting.

Let us help.

Contact Us

Alliance for Positive Health
Corrections Health Initiative
845 Central Ave
Albany, NY 12206

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