Home :: at Johns Hopkins :: Corrections

Prison Tele-Consultation and Tele-Educational Program

The JHU prison HIV tele-consultation program is operating under the direction of Dr. William H. Ruby, Assistant Professor of Medicine and Medical Director of the Moore Clinic for the Division of Infectious Diseases.  The program reaches all five (5) state regions, approximately 24 prison facilities, of the Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services (DPSCS) monthly for scheduled HIV clinic.  The tele-consultation team has recently added a tele-consultation HIV clinic for the Federal Bureau of Prisons in Cumberland, Maryland. . 

Since its inception in 2000, the program has provided expert HIV consultation to over 900 HIV positive inmates within the State of Maryland. In order to keep up with the demand, the number of tele-consultation clinics has been increased from four (4) to eight (8) per month.  

Because this is a consultative service we do not follow the patient long term.  Eighty Five percent (85%) of the patients who are incarcerated in the state prison system will return to the Baltimore Metropolitan area.  In order to establish continuity of care with the Johns Hopkins Moore Clinic, as well as, other HIV community health clinics in the area, all inmates who have been presented for tele-consultation are entered into the Johns Hopkins Hospital   electronic medical record database. This helps ensure access of HIV medical records to those inmates released from State or Federal custody and who will seek follow up care in the community.

Ms. Ellen Rappaport, MPH, continues to direct and coordinate the tele-consultation program activities and is the key point person for communications between the prison facilities (medical staff) and the HIV specialists at Johns Hopkins University.  She has also been instrumental with the seamless transition for inmates to and from prison facilities and community clinics with the sharing of vital medical information and records. 

There have been no repairs or upgrades to the equipment thus far.  Line usage charges continue to be billed directly to the State of Maryland Department of Public Service and Correctional Services and paid by the individual prison institution participating in the program. The connection cost to the Federal Prison facility in Cumberland, Maryland is handled through the Washngton, DC Bureau of Prisons central office. 

Tele-Education
Tele-educational programming in collaboration with the Johns Hopkins AIDS Education and Training Center (AETC) continues to be a success. These programs typically take place after major HIV conferences (IDSA, CROI, ICAAC) or when new information is released.  These sessions provide timely updates and demonstrate commitment to bringing the latest knowledge to the prison providers. 

The five regions, as well as the Cumberland federal prison, are bridged together for an hour didactic program. Each institution has the opportunity to participate. The educational program is taped so that the 2^nd and 3rd shift providers can benefit from the program.  On average, approximately 50 providers (physicians, physician assistants, and infection control nurses) attend the live program.  The night-shift clinicians and staff account for approximately 40 additional providers across the state.  The program is interactive as each site has the opportunity to ask the speaker questions. Physician and physician assistants receive AMA Category I CME credits for each program in which they participate. 

Prison Tele-Consultation Team
The existing tele-consultation prison program includes the dedication of the entire team to HIV disease management from the academic institution, the 5 Regional correctional institutions and the Cumberland federal prison facility.  The team of Dr. Ruby and Ms. Ellen Rappaport has orchestrated a user friendly protocol for delivering high quality clinical care and knowledge.

For more information, contact Dr. William Ruby at wruby@jhmi.edu or Ellen Rappaport at erappap1@jhmi.edu.