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The University of Massachusetts School of Nursing (UMA-SON) in Amherst and the staff and inmates at the Hampshire County Sheriff's Office Jail and House of Correction (HSO) in Northampton, Mass., have maintained a unique four-year collaboration. UMA-SON has a strong community health mission and a curriculum focused on health promotion and disease prevention. Service learning is a key element in the undergraduate experience for all students. HSO, a 300-bed county correctional facility, is involved with the local Office of Community Corrections (OCC), an agency that offers an alternative sanctioning program and a monitoring site for clients on parole or probation.
HSO is cutting edge in its approach to incarceration. In addition to offering typical educational, substance abuse, and health programs, a wealth of alternative treatment is also available to the inmates. Programs such as job fairs, meditation, art therapy, poetry writing, mural projects, quilting, a father-child reading program, service dog training and formal panel presentations conducted by inmates are a few of the "electives" available at HSO. In an effort to address its need for inmate health education, it seemed only natural for HSO to develop a relationship with an area university nursing department. UMA-SON's curriculum goals meshed very well with some of HSO's unmet health and educational program needs. This partnership has proved beneficial to inmates, staff and students.
Inmate Health Programs
During the past four years, student nurses have offered programs for inmates on topics such as meditation, nutrition, HIV and hepatitis C virus (HCV) prevention, dental hygiene, flu prevention, and employability skills. An important...