The HOME Project (Health Options Mean Empowerment) Olga Grinstead (PI), Megan Comfort, Kelly Knight, Kathleen McCartney, Jax McKee- Shapter, Tor Neilands, Shay Skye (CAPS) Philippe Bourgois (UCSF) Barry Zack, Katie Kramer, Xochitl Fierro, Kim Starr, Cat Aboudara (Centerforce) Funded by the National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR)

Love Your Man, Love Yourself ( )  Pilot project for HOME  Interventions designed for women with incarcerated male partners are feasible  Women do not feel at risk for HIV because they are monogamous  Perception that the prison environment is not particularly risky Unprotected sexual intercourse has emotional and practical importance

HOME Research Questions Formative research: what are the HIV risks and needs that women with incarcerated male partners experience? Intervention Development: how can we address these risks and needs in a population-specific intervention? Evaluation: can the HOME intervention affect women’s knowledge, behavior, and/or attitudes regarding HIV risk?

Formative Data Collection  Qualitative interviews with women visiting an incarcerated male partner (N=20)  Qualitative interviews with correctional officers (N=13)  Quantitative survey with women visiting an incarcerated male partner (baseline N = 112, 30-day post-release follow-up in progress)

Preliminary Findings  Strong belief that all men are tested for HIV while incarcerated  Women are testing for HIV regularly  Women who visit prisoners are “making it” to some extent  Romantic narratives cut across socio- economic and ethnicity lines  Need for “holistic” intervention approaches

Contact information Megan Comfort (415)