The Power of Peer Education in Correctional Facilities
The Power of Peer Education in Correctional Facilities
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Living in incarceration poses unique health concerns for the nearly 2.3 million people incarcerated in the United States. This includes an increased risk for hepatitis C infection, a blood-borne illness that frequently co-occurs with substance use disorder. In Indiana 13% of the incarcerated population have an acute or chronic Hepatitis C infection. At the IUPUI ECHO (Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes) Center in the Richard M. Fairbanks School of Public Health, I learned about the powerful impact the Indiana Peer Education Program (INPEP) ECHO is making through the power of education. A selected group of individuals receive a 40-hr training including health education and professional development to prepare them to teach health-related topics to their peers. The peer educators share their perspective on the program by speaking up about the importance of prison health. Not only does the program positively influence the peer educators and their peers, but when released, the knowledge can be passed to the community. INPEP ECHO provides a life-changing opportunity where peer educators acquire leadership skills that will benefit this vulnerable population and spread the knowledge to the rest of the world.
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