The You Matter Project: Pathways to care for STBBIs

 

The You Matter Project: Pathways to care for STBBIs: A guideline and policy recommendations for STBBI testing and linkage to care in British Columbia Provincial Correctional Settings

 

Although STBBI screening is available on request in correctional centres across Canada, without accepted best practices for opt-out or universal STBBI testing and linkage to care, there is inconsistent implementation of pre- and post-test STBBI counselling in corrections, and STBBI tests during reception at corrections are not universally or even routinely offered in many facilities, resulting in poor linkage to care for STBBIs among PWAI.

The development of these foundational policies and guidelines for opt-out or universal STBBI testing and linkage to care in corrections at reception aims to create accountability frameworks, streamline care pathways, reduce the occurrence of unintended harms, and increase the likelihood that people who are incarcerated (PWAI) will have positive experiences when engaging in healthcare.