The MWAETC is dedicated to the training needs of health care providers in carceral settings. Our program offers a variety of training opportunities specific to carceral staff members:
- Annual conference on HIV in the Carceral Setting
- Didactic seminars and lectures
- On-line video trainings (live and on-demand)
- Preceptorship program for medical providers
- Virtual communities of practice
- Clinical consultation
- Technical assistance
Please contact Lara Strick, MD, MSc MWAETC Carceral Program Director for more information.
Lara Strick, MD, MWAETC Carceral Program Director
Dr. Strick is a Clinical Associate Professor at the University of Washington and a physician in the Washington State Department of Corrections. She was the statewide Infectious Disease Physician and Chair of Infection Prevention for the prison system for 15 years. Within that role, she brought medical students and residents to interact with patients experiencing incarceration and established a reentry program for her patients transitioning back to the community. She now oversees the Washington DOC Hepatitis C Test & Treat Program with the goal of eliminating hepatitis C infection within the state prison system. She continues to teach carceral providers through the Mountain West AETC and currently helps monitor the Arizona prison healthcare system as part of a federal injunction.
Join us for the 2025 HIV in Carceral Settings Conference
Join us for the 2025 HIV in Carceral Settings Conference (new name, same conference) that will be held in Spokane, Washington Friday and Saturday, April 4th and 5th. As always, the conference is free and continuing education credit will be provided. Individuals providing care and service to people with HIV who reside within or interact with jail or prison settings within the 10-state Mountain West region are welcome to attend. Click here to see the conference agenda. Click here to register. Click here to see agendas from recent conferences.(underlined text should be hyperlinked to agenda, moose registration page, agendas from 2022-2024 conferences respectively
2024 HIV in Corrections Conference
The 2024 MWAETC HIV in the Carceral Setting conference in Olympia was a success this past spring. The conference brought together individuals working both inside and outside carceral facilities in an interactive reentry workshop on Friday. Participants learned about the complexity of the reentry process and brainstormed ways to overcome barriers for people leaving jail and prison. Saturday night, the keynote speaker, Jason McGill from Washington Health Care Authority, presented a broad overview of what the new 1115 waiver will allow Medicaid to cover and a timeline for implementation. Finally, on Saturday, there were clinical updates on HIV care, anal cancer screening, and recommended vaccinations. A panel discussed gender affirming care behind bars from both provider and patient perspectives. The day ended with an amazing talk by Haner Hernåndez, who made us look inwards at our own roles and responsibilities. Participants and conference team members all left motivated to actively strive to decrease inequities within their systems.
MWAETC 2024 HIV in Corrections Conference Leaders
Rhianna Tretin (Montana AETC), Dayna Morrison (Oregon AETC), Carrie Van Ness (Washington AETC), Susan Latta (MWAETC Regional Office), Lara Strick, MD (MWAETC Regional Office), Antoinette Craig (MWAETC Regional Office), David Spach, MD (MWAETC Regional Office), Hillary Liss, MD (MWAETC Regional Office), Laurie Sylla (MWAETC Regional Office), Victor Ramirez (Washington AETC)
Carceral HIV (aka HIV in Corrections) Preceptorship
This two-day educational program is a prison-based preceptorship for health care providers during which they will observe and work with an HIV expert preceptor. Preceptorships will be designed to meet the specific needs of individual trainees based on current levels of experience and practice settings. Preceptors will focus on the care and treatment of patients with HIV within the context of a comprehensive, continuum of care model. A combination of didactic and experiential instruction will include HIV risk assessment, diagnosis of primary HIV and opportunistic infections, therapeutic interventions (i.e., medication regimens, including managing side effects, salvage therapies, and adherence strategies), and treatment as prevention. Instruction will also include strategies for effectively addressing patients’ psychosocial needs related to mental health and substance use disorders and social support. Participants (preceptees) will accompany the preceptor to observe at least four work-ups with patients being treated for HIV. The preceptorship will include time in both prison and community clinic settings.
Carceral HIV Preceptorship Learning Objectives
Upon completion of this program, attendees should be able to:
- Diagnose primary HIV infection
- Conduct baseline evaluation of newly diagnosed patients with HIV infection
- Cite principles underlying antiretroviral therapy (ART) initiation and maintenance
- Recognize adverse and potentially life-threatening side effects of ART
- Approach diagnosis/management of common HIV co-morbid conditions