English

INTRODUCTION AND THE OUTLINE

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Introduction and the Outline

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Institutional Affiliation

Date

Purpose: to determine the COVID-19 risk factors on Jail

Audience: Ministry of health, physicians, the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP), professor, and the class

Argument: There is poor health experience and limited to access to healthcare services, higher number of incarcerated individuals, racial and ethnic disparity, restriction to having access to the common hygiene products, and shortages of healthcare professionals.

I. Introduction

COVID-19 is a health pandemic that continues to be a major concern in public health all over the world. As the world continues to fight against this disease by putting some preventive measure, it has created a new norm for human interaction. There is an introduction of the new aspects such as social distancing, improvement of hygiene through the use of the soap and hand sanitizer, wearing of the masks, and the quarantining. The remaining concerns are what this newly introduced norm means to over 2 million individuals who are helping in the local, state, and the federal jails or prisons. The highest number of individuals in jail is raising a major concern on these population can be helped to be free from the COVID-19 infections. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there is a higher risk of serious complications from the COVID-19 for the elderly and individuals with chronic health conditions. Aging in the prison the healthcare concerns increase in incarcerated settings. Several risk factors are considered to be exposing the individuals in jail to COVID-19. There is poor health experience and limited to access to healthcare services, higher number of incarcerated individuals, racial and ethnic restriction, restriction to having access to the common hygiene products, and shortages of healthcare professionals (Hawks et al., 2020).

II. Shortages of Healthcare Professionals

In the jails, there are shortages of healthcare providers and a long history of denial towards access to sufficient healthcare for chronic illnesses. Some facilities are charging inmates a copay for the treatment that the prisoners are ill-equipped to afford (Hawks et al., 2020).

III. Poor health and limited access to the healthcare

Once incarcerated, the prisoners undergo premature aging and experiences health issues that are associated with individuals in the general [population of 10 to 15 years older. the experiences in the jail lead to the emotional distress and this manifest to the mental disordered (Simpson & Butler, 2020).

IV. Restriction on accessing common hygiene products

Even though the prisoners might have access to water, there is no guarantee that they can have access to the soap, alcohol-based hand sanitizer, and drying of their hands. It becomes a challenge to disinfect the bathroom and cafeteria as a result of the limited access to the products with alcohol and soaps (Hawks et al., 2020).

V. High population in the jails

The higher number of incarcerated individuals make it difficult to implement the social distance of at least 6 feet from others. The jail is overcrowded and this makes the population be at higher risk of highly communicable illness such as COVID-19 (Williams, et al., 2020).

VI. Racial and ethnic health disparities

The alarming disparities in the population and wellness in the U.S have resulted in the multidisciplinary research efforts to help in the creation of health equity. The non-Hispanic Black Americans and the American Indians are at higher risk of COVID-19 due to the discrimination when it comes to the treatment provided.

References

Hawks, L., Woolhandler, S., & McCormick, D. (2020). COVID-19 in prisons and jails in the United States. JAMA Internal Medicine. Simpson, P. L., & Butler, T. G. (2020). Covid-19, prison crowding, and release policies. Williams, B., Ahalt, C., Cloud, D., Augustine, D., Rorvig, L., & Sears, D. (2020). Correctional facilities in the shadow of COVID-19: unique challenges and proposed solutions. Health Aff, 10.