Stara Zagora, May 21 and 22 , 2015
The second training for prison staff took place in May 21–22, 2015 in the prison in Stara Zagora. The topics presented were blood transmitted and sexual transmitted infections with the focus of prevention, information on HIV infection with special attention on the specifics while working with people living with HIV. 42 persons were trained. Part of them took the opportunity for voluntary and anonymous counseling and testing for HIV, Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C.
It was discussed about infectious and oncogenic viruses, about the ways of infecting, about acute and chronic course of illnesses. It was cleared up that the staff is not always has the necessary protective equipment for searches and as a consequence is at a higher risk of potential infecting. The need to work on changing the stereotypes of the personnel concerning the responsible behavior for protecting own health was also defined.
The others of the team, who realized the training: Dr. Radosveta Stamenkova, Executive Director of BFPA and trainer on topics connected with sexuality and reproductive health; Daniela Dikova, advisory nurse and trainer of BFPA; Milen Chavrov, Hope Against AIDS Foundation Chairman; Ralitsa Zgalevska, projects coordinator in BFPA. On our training sessions and visit in the prison of Stara Zagora together with us was Toni Toncheva, psychologist from the Execution of Sentences General Directorate – main partner of BFPA on the project.
The Director of the institution in Stara Zagora Ivan Karushkov confirmed the readiness to support the activities on project in a meeting with the team after the training. In the frame of our visit we went over the St. Nikolai Wonderworker church in the prison’s yard, built and partial decorated by incarcerated, in which the original Liturgical Book by the author of Vidritza Mincho Kanchev Priest is preserved. We saw also the school in which prisoners are educated from first to twelfth grades and which annually has several school leavers.
The project’s duration is 14 months (March 2015 – April 2016). Its aim is to improve the health status of persons serving sentence of "imprisonment" and detainees in prisons in Plovdiv, Stara Zagora and Sliven.
This publication is created with financial support from the Norwegian Financial Mechanism 2009-2014. The entire responsibility for the contents of the document is of BFPA and under no circumstances can be assumed that this document presents official opinion of the Programme Operator or the donor.
Photos from the event https://bfpagallery.wordpress.com/events-2015/prisons_without_risk_stara_zagora-health_staff/
