Ask PHN: Hippa in Prison

By Jamila Harris
From PHN Issue 54, Fall 2023

Dear PHN,
Could you explain the rules and violations of the HIPAA Act? Is it a violation if the correctional officer stays in the room while we are seeing medical staff and knows my medical information?

– L.W.

Dear L.W.,
When it comes to the rights of incarcerated individuals and the privacy of their medical information, a valid concern always comes to mind. “Do the correctional officers have the right to know your medical information?” A person who is incarcerated has certain legal rights under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, also known as HIPAA. This act is a federal law passed in 1996 that protects how medical information of individuals—including identifying factors such as address, birthdate, and social security number—is transferred and disclosed to others. Under the law, this identifiable health information is known as “protected health information.”

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Recognizing LONG COVID

By Kirby Sokolow
From PHN Issue 53, Summer 2023

Three years have passed since the World Health Organization first declared COVID-19 a pandemic. However, people worldwide continue to suffer from this novel coronavirus’ devastating effects. Among them are an estimated 65 million people with symptoms of Long COVID.

Long COVID—also called post-COVID syndrome or post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection—is when someone keeps having COVID-19 symptoms or gets new symptoms that last weeks, months, or years after they get COVID. Anyone infected with COVID-19 can develop Long COVID, even vaccinated folks and people whose initial symptoms were mild. However, vaccination does lower your risk of both getting COVID and developing long COVID.

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A Word About Syphilis

By Thomas Michael Simons, IPE
From PHN Issue 52, Spring 2023

While its origin is not completely known, the earliest evidence of syphilis was found in the Pre-Columbian Indigenous population of South America. Syphilis is caused by the Treponema pallidum spirochete bacterium, and it can cause serious health problems if not treated. It is transmitted by coming into contact with a syphilitic sore during anal, oral, or vaginal sex. These sores appear on or around the anus, penis, or vagina (they’re found in the rectum, on the lips, or in the mouth). It can be congenitally (present before birth) spread from a pregnant person to a fetus or baby.

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Prisoners Surviving Mental Illness

By Wayne Thomas
From PHN Issue 52, Spring 2023

There is an increasing restriction of constitutional rights and other safeguards on people with mental illness in prison. The punishment of individuals with psychiatric problems in prisons might affect the perception of people impacted by mass incarceration.

We are troubled by the punishing of people who suffer from mental and emotional disorders, who are often forced to take antipsychotic drugs during the trial or pretrial setting. There are a large number of instances in prisons and courthouses when a person with mental illness is forced to take medications against their will. The person is incapacitated by being put in a medication-induced stupor and then removed to a courtroom where they are sentenced to a term of incarceration. This is a process that maintains physical control over the mentally ill persons, forced by law to subject themselves to take antipsychotic medications when released. Often they are threatened with the possibility of return to confinement—to ensure medication adherence for formerly incarcerated people who are categorized as mentally ill.

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What to Know About COVID-19 Tests

By M. Ali
From PHN Issue 52, Spring 2023

COVID-19 is an illness caused by a coronavirus called SARS-CoV-2. It spreads when a person with the virus (symptomatic or asymptomatic) releases droplets and particles from their mouth or nose. This can occur when they breathe, cough, or sneeze in close contact with another person. It can also occur in poorly ventilated or crowded indoor settings, such as correctional and detention facilities. The best way to prevent COVID19 infection and reinfection is to practice basic hygiene like washing your hands with soap and water, wear a well-fitting mask, stay up to date with vaccines, and avoid contact with individuals who may have the virus. While the use of masks to prevent the spread of this virus has been politicized and debated, randomized controlled trials have found that community-level mask wearing does reduce COVID-19 infections and may be an especially effective resource in crowded facilities.

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Making Sense Of The Letters Behind Your Healthcare Provider’s Name

By Seth Lammming and Hannah Faeben
From PHN Issue 51, Winter 2023

At some point in time, you’ve probably been in a doctor’s office or medical facility and noticed all sorts of letters after people’s names. MD, PA, DO, NP, RN, the list goes on. The alphabet soup can get confusing. In this article, we will break down the basic differences between physicians and mid-level providers and what some of these letters mean.

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An Open Letter to the INCARCERATED OF PENNSYLVANIA

By Anonymous
From PHN Issue 51, Winter 2023

It has been more than a year since the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections vaccinated its inmate population. Mask mandates have been lifted. The unvaccinated have been allowed off quarantine and spread throughout general population. And yet here we are, another year gone, and the pandemic restrictions limiting activity and quality of life within the prisons remain. The PA DOC has successfully used a deadly pandemic as a smoke screen to institute many of the wide-ranging and destructive restrictions it’s wanted all along.

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Ask PHN: Colon Cancer

By Belinda Christensen
From PHN Issue 50, Summer/Fall 2022

Dear Prison Health News,
Thank you for having me on your mailing list. By the way, do you know anything about colon cancer? My father died of it in July of 1999, and one of my brothers died of it in 2013, so I know it runs in my family. I would highly appreciate learning more about it, if you can.
— Gabriel Fuentes, California

Dear Mr. Fuentes,
Thank you for your letter, and for the wonderful drawing. I’m very sorry to hear that your father and brother passed away from colon cancer. I’ve provided some information below about screening and prevention from the American Cancer Society and the Colorectal Cancer Alliance, two organizations that work to educate people about cancer prevention and treatment.

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Abortion Rights Update: ROE V. WADE OVERTURNED

By Lily H-A
From PHN Issue 50, Summer/Fall 2022

On June 24, 2022, the U.S. Supreme Court voted 5-4 in the case Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization to overturn Roe v. Wade, stating that the U.S. Constitution does not protect the right to abortion. The new ruling does not restrict abortion on its own, but gives states the unlimited ability to restrict abortion.

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What To Know About MONKEYPOX

By Olivia Duffield
From PHN Issue 50, Summer/Fall 2022

You may have heard recently about an outbreak of a virus called “monkeypox” in the United States and elsewhere. As of July 2022, there have been over 3,000 recorded cases of monkeypox in the U.S. It was declared an international public health emergency by the World Health Organization on July 23, and, at this time, there have now been a few cases identified in prisons throughout the U.S.

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