Health service confirms increase in HIV patients treated at county jail

At one metro Atlanta county jail, the number of patients coming into the facility already in need of treatment for HIV has gone up.

The increased prevalence of detainees with HIV at the Rockdale County Jail was presented to the county commission on Oct. 27.

At that meeting, a representative from NaphCare, which provides health services at the Rockdale County Jail, told the commissioners that the number being treated per day at the jail had more than doubled.

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In a statement shared with Channel 2 Action News, a NaphCare representative said “at our Rockdale facility, we have seen an increase in the number of patients receiving HIV treatment from an average of three patients per day to an average of nine patients per day. This increase may reflect a rise in HIV incidence in the community, improved diagnosis and treatment, or a combination of these factors.”

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However, NaphCare said it could not confirm the cause of the increase, referring further questions on case counts to the Georgia Department of Public Health.

“Based on the information available to us, we believe patients in our care who have HIV acquired the virus in the community,” NaphCare said in a statement. We are not aware of any cases of HIV transmission occurring within the jail.”

For patients in the jail, if there is already an established HIV treatment regimen, NaphCare said those detainees will “continue receiving medications consistent with their community care.”

The company said it also works to identify patience with previously undiagnosed HIV in order to prescribe appropriate medications and begin treatment as soon as possible.

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