To empower and enhance professional development of national counterparts and clinicians working with prisons and other detention facilities across the WHO European Region, the WHO/Europe Special Initiative for Noncommunicable Diseases and Innovation (SNI) in collaboration with the United Kingdom Health Security Agency and with the SEICHE Center for Health and Justice (Yale University) is introducing a new training course: “Prevention and management of infectious diseases in places of detention”.
It is aimed at bridging the gaps in training curricula, navigating ethical and medical-legal dilemmas, and understanding system-related concepts in correctional health care.
Course objectives
The online course will give its participants the knowledge and innovative tools to:
- apply the WHO principles for preventing and managing infectious diseases in places of detention to their own areas of work;
- set priorities to improve the quality of infectious disease management based on the availability of resources of the detention facility;
- develop an action plan considering the interaction with general community health systems;
- train their peers to deliver the WHO-recommended interventions.
Level and demands
The course is aimed at health professionals specializing in prison environments from any of the 53 Member States of the WHO European Region. Professionals from other regions are also welcome to express their interest in participating.
Course timeline and composition
The course begins on 25 September 2023, and typically takes around 18 hours to complete. However, participants can progress through the course at their preferred speed. The learning process involves various activities, including reading articles, watching videos, taking knowledge quizzes, and engaging in open discussions with fellow learners.
The course is structured on the themes of Prepare, Prevent, Detect, Respond and Build. In each theme, important issues of prevention and management of infectious diseases in prison settings are highlighted.
Application process
The application process for any of the prison health training programmes is open, allowing participants to join at any time. Please send your expression of interest to Filipa Alves da Costa (azevedof@who.int).
Certification
All participants receive a digital certificate after successfully completing the course. This certificate will be issued by the SEICHE Center for Health and Justice, co-signed by the Health Security Agency and WHO.