November 10, 2006
HIV COUNSELING DISAPPEARING FROM RIKERS ISLAND
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State Senator Tom Duane joined Derrick Chandler, Housing Works, and other activists in calling for HIV-counseling at the city's largest jail. |
This week the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene and Prison Health Services, Inc. announced the elimination of the HIV Testing Program as it currently exists on Rikers Island, the city's largest jail. Prison Health Services, Inc. has already reassigned 12 HIV testing counselors off the island. Prison advocates, former inmates, people living with HIV/AIDS and policy makers rallied in Wednesday's pouring rain at City Hall to demand NYC Health Commissioner Thomas Frieden and Mayor Michael Bloomberg rescind the pink slips and institute effective HIV testing that respects human rights.
"I am outraged that the Health Commissioner, who has been very vocal in his support for increased HIV testing, would cut the jobs of these trained counselors who have been enormously effective in increasing the percentage of inmates consenting to be tested for HIV," said NY State Senator Tom Duane, who joined the rally.
Romeo Sanchez, a former inmate, long-time prison healthcare advocate, and organizer with NYC AIDS Housing Network's Parolee Human Rights Project, said, "This is a devastating and dramatic blow for HIV care, testing and services for inmates."
Many of the members of the NYCAHN Parolee Human Rights Project, formerly incarcerated individuals who have spent time in jail and prison, view the services that the HIV counselors provide as a glimmer of hope in the otherwise hopeless nightmare of Rikers Island.
The HIV Testing Program has been in place for over 10 years, providing comprehensive services to people in dire need. The Program has included confirmatory testing, extensive counseling, HIV education and condoms. For people who are positive, the Program provides proper lab work and access to medications. According to the counselors, the city boasted at the International AIDS Conference this summer in Toronto that 26,000 persons were tested in these facilities. What they did not say- the real deal- is that half of those tested were tested by HIV counselors.
Like We Said- Testing, with Respect for Human Rights
NYC Department of Health Commissioner Thomas Friedan has been chomping at the bit eliminate the counseling and support necessary to making HIV-testing an effective part of prevention as well as an entry point to care and treatment.
"Frieden wants to test people the minute they set foot in Rikers. What the counselors said to me was how 'informed' is the consent when you are strung out, dope sick, scared or just plain tired, especially if you are only given a piece of paper to sign without any type of counseling?" said terri smith-caronia, Director of NYC Public Policy at Housing Works. "With this vulnerable population, eliminating certain safeguards - like the counselors who ensure that consent is indeed informed - provides an all too slippery slope for an abuse of power. People sitting in custody on Rikers Island are worthy of civil rights and health protections."
When the government cuts trained counselors, it creates de facto mandatory, uninformed testing of inmates. According to the Rikers Island HIV counselors, now any type of pre- or post-test counseling will be gone.
If this regressive approach to testing is rolling out on Rikers Island- will houses of detention in the Brooklyn, Queens, Bronx soon follow?
For more information, please call Romeo Sanchez, NYCAHN Parolee Human Rights Project, at (646) 246-8294 or (718) 802-9540 x 16 or send an email to terri smith-caronia, Director of NYC Public Policy at smith-caronia@housingworks.org.