Publications by authors named "Colette McGrath"
Correctional centres (termed here 'prisons') are at high risk of COVID-19 and have featured major outbreaks worldwide. Inevitable close contacts, frequent inmate movements, and a disproportionate burden of co-morbidities mean these environments need to be prioritised in any public health response to respiratory pathogens such as COVID-19. We developed an individual-based SARS-CoV-2 transmission model for the prison system in New South Wales, Australia - incorporating all 33 correctional centres, 13,458 inmates, 578 healthcare and 6,909 custodial staff.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: The Surveillance and Treatment of Prisoners With Hepatitis C (SToP-C) study demonstrated that scaling up of direct-acting antiviral (DAA) treatment reduced hepatitis C virus (HCV) transmission. We evaluated the cost-effectiveness of scaling up HCV treatment in statewide prison services incorporating long-term outcomes across custodial and community settings.
Methods: A dynamic model of incarceration and HCV transmission among people who inject drugs (PWID) in New South Wales, Australia, was extended to include former PWID and those with long-term HCV progression.
Background: Dried blood spot (DBS) testing provides an alternative to phlebotomy and addresses barriers to accessing healthcare experienced by some key populations. Large-scale evaluations of DBS testing programs are needed to understand their feasibility. This study evaluated the implementation of a state-wide DBS HIV and hepatitis C virus (HCV) testing pilot.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Dried blood spot (DBS) testing for hepatitis C virus (HCV) RNA provides a sampling option that avoids venepuncture and can be carried out in a nonclinical setting. Large-scale evaluations are needed to understand how DBS testing can reduce HCV burden. This study estimated prevalence of, and factors associated with, HCV RNA and treatment initiation among people enrolled in a state-wide pilot of people testing in the NSW DBS Pilot in New South Wales, Australia.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArticle Synopsis
- The study evaluated a 'one-stop-shop' point-of-care HCV RNA testing intervention in a prison setting in Australia to improve hepatitis C treatment uptake compared to standard care.
- Results showed that the intervention significantly increased the initiation of direct-acting antiviral treatment within 12 weeks (93% vs. 22%) and reduced the median time to treatment initiation (6 days vs. 99 days).
- These findings suggest that this model can effectively address barriers to HCV care for recently incarcerated individuals, providing valuable insights for policymakers on improving treatment pathways.
Purpose: This commentary aims to reveal how a steering committee has effectively responded to advancing accessibility to harm reduction resources, hepatitis C virus (HCV) policy and health strategies within adult prison settings in New South Wales (NSW).
Design/methodology/approach: By reviewing the audit approach taken by the of the Justice Health and Forensic Mental Health Network and Corrective Services New South Wales Harm Reduction Reference Group (JHFMHN/CSNSW HRRG), this commentary emphasizes the committee's success in identifying contemporary harm reduction issues that affect people in custodial settings. This commentary is a compilation of data gathered through the 2018 JHFMHN/CSNSW HRRG audit and corresponding program materials.
Background: Limited empirical evidence exists for the effectiveness of hepatitis C virus (HCV) treatment-as-prevention. The Surveillance and Treatment of Prisoners with hepatitis C (SToP-C) study aimed to assess the effect of HCV treatment-as-prevention in the prison setting.
Methods: SToP-C was a prospective study, including a before-and-after analysis, within a cohort of people incarcerated in two maximum-security prisons (male) and two medium-security prisons (one male, one female) in New South Wales, Australia.
Objective: To describe the collaboration between Youth Justice New South Wales (YJNSW) and Justice Health and Forensic Mental Health Network (JHFMHN) during the early COVID-19 Response (CR) across the six Youth Justice centres in NSW, and the reduced incidence of self-harm noted over this period.
Methods: Narrative article with analysis of self-harm incident data during the initial CR period of March to May 2020, compared to the same period in 2019.
Results: During the initial CR period (March to May 2020), there was a highly significant, four-fold reduction in self-harming incidents recorded by both YJNSW and JHFMHN compared with the equivalent time period in 2019 ( < .
Purpose: New South Wales (NSW) correctional system houses 30% of prisoners in Australia and at this time has only had a single documented case of COVID-19 amongst its prisoner population. The coordinated response by Justice Health and Forensic Mental Health Network (The Network) undertaken with the support of NSW Ministry of Health, in partnership with Corrective Services NSW (CSNSW), Youth Justice and private jails has ensured that the NSW correctional system has remained otherwise COVID-free.
Design/methodology/approach: A research study of how a range of partners which support the operations of NSW Correctional System developed an effective approach for the prevention a COVID-19 epidemic amongst its inmates.
Importance: Previous unblinded clinical trials suggested that the intranasal route of naloxone hydrochloride was inferior to the widely used intramuscular route for the reversal of opioid overdose.
Objective: To test whether a dose of naloxone administered intranasally is as effective as the same dose of intramuscularly administered naloxone in reversing opioid overdose.
Design, Setting, And Participants: A double-blind, double-dummy randomized clinical trial was conducted at the Uniting Medically Supervised Injecting Centre in Sydney, Australia.
Background: People in prison have been identified as an important population to prioritise for hepatitis C virus (HCV) treatment to achieve HCV elimination goals. We evaluated the efficacy of the New South Wales Justice Health and Forensic Mental Health Network Hepatitis Nurse Led Model of Care during the 12 months following the widespread availability of HCV direct acting antivirals (DAAs) in Australia.
Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted of a network of 36 correctional centres across NSW from April 2016 to March 2017, with approximately 13 000 full time inmates.