Establishing a Monitoring Mechanism on Prison Health Indicators and Health Determinants Working Part

1
Establishing a Monitoring Mechanism on Prison
Health Indicators and Health DeterminantsWorking
Party on Information on Lifestyle and Specific
Subpopulations Luxembourg, 14 May 2008

• Brenda van den Bergh
• World Health Organization
• Regional Office for Europe

2
WHO Health in Prisons Project

• Launched in 1995
• Purpose to support Member States in improving
  public health by addressing health and health
  care in prisons, and to facilitate the links
  between prison health and public health systems
  both at national and international levels

3
Strategic objectives

• Establishing integration of prison health into
  the public health system
• Encouraging prisons to work within codes of human
  rights and medical ethics
• Contributing to rehabilitation and resettlement
  and giving social support
• Reducing exposure to communicable diseases
• Reaching prison health service equivalent to
  society

4
Activities WHO Health in Prisons Project

• Annual Conference and network meeting
• Publications/ resolutions
• - Prisons and Mental Health
• - Prisons and Womens Health
• Country activities
• Best Practice Awards
• Prison Health Database
• WHO guide to the essentials in prison health

5
WP Project and partners

• The WP project started officially September
• 2005 with grant from the Public Health
• Programme
• Partners involved
• EMCDDA
• ENDIPP

6
Activities WP Project

• To establish an information/surveillance system
  on prison health, leading to a greater
  understanding of the incidence/prevalence and
  spread of disease and ill-health in prisons and
  between prisons and the society.
• To establish an European Network of national
  experts on prison health in order to facilitate
  the implementation of a data collection
  procedure.
• To support and encourage EU Member States,
  applicant and neighbouring countries to implement
  a system to monitor prison health.
• To develop evidence-based guidance on
  cost-effective disease control and health
  promotion in prisons as part of national
  strategies for public health protection and
  promotion.
• To develop an early warning system on
  communicable diseases and changes in psychotropic
  drug use in prisons in order to protect public
  health.

7
Outcome

• Prison Health Database
• Network of Experts
• Prison Health Manual

8
1. Prison Health Database

• The Prison Health Database was developed to
• Be able to compare public health with prison
  health
• ? To put focus on special health conditions in
  prison
• Increase the knowledge of prison health and
  prison health trends

9
Importance of database

• The database will be used to
• Obtain an overview of the health situation in
  prisons and the organization, practice and
  quality control of assistance to prisoners in
  Europe
• Make individual country recommendations
• Compare countries
• Develop evidence-based guidance on cost-effective
  disease control and health promotion in prison

10
Contribution to ECHIM indicators

• 3 indicators recommended for inclusion in ECHIM
  shortlist
• - prison population rate
• - number of prisoners on substitution
  treatment
• - number of suicides in prison
• Some ECHIM indicators included in Prison Health
  indicators list, specifically for prison
  population (e.g. HIV/AIDS incidence, suicide
  attempts)

11
Where are we now?

• December 2007 first annual report for EC
• Invitations EU Member States not in network yet
• Increase data availability
• Review process with EMCDDA
• August 2008 grant from Public Health Programme
  ends

12
Internet address

• http//data.euro.who.int/hip

13
2. Network of Experts

• 36 Member States are actively involved (20 EU)
• 14 from West Europe
• Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Greece,
  Iceland, Ireland, Malta, Netherlands, Norway,
  Portugal, Spain, Switzerland, United Kingdom
  (England, Wales and Scotland)
• 13 from Central Europe
• Albania, Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia,
  Hungary, Lithuania, Latvia, Moldova, Poland,
  Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia
• 9 from East Europe
• Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan,
  Kyrgyzstan, Russian Federation, Tajikistan,
  Ukraine, Uzbekistan

14
3. Prison Health Manual

• Health in Prisons A WHO guide to the essentials
  in prison health
• Published in May 2007, launched in The
  Netherlands
• Translated into Russian, Farsi, Italian, Chinese,
  Polish, Albanian

15

16

• Website
• http//www.euro.who.int/prisons
• Contact details
• Lars Møller
• lmo_at_euro.who.int
• Brenda van den Bergh
• bvb_at_euro.who.int