Bill > H1434

This bill mandates that correctional institutions housing women must provide comprehensive health education and services. Specifically, upon admission and at any time thereafter, incarcerated women will receive written information on women's health, contraception, and sexually transmitted infections, presented in a user-friendly brochure translated into their native languages by the department of public health. Furthermore, four months before release, female prisoners of childbearing age will be offered contraception counseling and a gynecological exam, including a Pap Test. If a prisoner chooses contraception, the institution will provide it, starting the regimen as early as three months before release if necessary, and upon release, she will receive a twelve-month prescription, a referral for refills, and a referral for follow-up medical care. Additionally, the bill requires correctional institutions to offer a health education course covering general health, nutrition, mental health, women's health, domestic violence, substance abuse, sexually transmitted infections, contraception (including emergency options), sex education, and pregnancy, developed in consultation with the commissioner of public health.