BJA's COVID-19 Detection and Mitigation in Confinement Facilities Training and Technical Assistance Center
COVID-19 remains a significant public health threat and confinement facilities must continue to take measures to limit the spread of the virus to protect incarcerated individuals, staff, and visitors.
This is why the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is working with the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) to operate the COVID-19 Detection and Mitigation in Confinement Facilities (CDMCF) Training and Technical Assistance (TTA) Center.
The American Rescue Plan Act (2021) authorized the provision of federal funding to 64 state, territorial, and local government recipients through the CDC’s Epidemiology and Laboratory Capacity for Prevention and Control of Emerging Infectious Diseases (ELC) cooperative agreement. The CDMCF program is intended to provide resources, training, and technical assistance support to those responsible for monitoring and detecting COVID-19 in confinement facilities consistent with criminal justice standards and practices.
Updated Respiratory Virus Guidance
Read this updated resource shared as part of the Bureau of Justice Assistance COVID-19 Detection and Mitigation in Confinement Facilities Training and Technical Assistance Center, managed by CNA. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released updated Respiratory Virus Guidance (March 1, 2024). This is guide is relevant to public health officials and corrections officials. The CDC Respiratory Virus Guidance replaces previous COVID-19 guidance for correctional and detention facilities and for other non-healthcare settings.
Call for COVID-19 educational materials
To foster information exchange to better prepare our communities for future events, the BJA CDMCF TTA center is gathering COVID-19 educational materials and resources from around the country. If you work for a Public Health Department or Confinement Facility and developed COVID-19 educational materials (e.g., handouts, posters, checklists, videos, or curriculum) for your staff or incarcerated population that you would like to share with the broader community, please contact us by January 10, 2024. Email us at bjacdmcf@cna.org.
Attend our Public Health Peer Group
Join this facilitated discussion for public health experts working with confinement facilities to detect and mitigate COVID-19. The purpose of this peer group meeting is to promote information sharing among ELC recipients, discuss promising practices and lessons learned, identify issues or challenges with program execution and mitigation strategies, and facilitate networking opportunities. In addition, ELC may schedule check-in calls with TTA on a case-by-case basis.
The Public Health Peer Group meeting is held quarterly and offers an opportunity for ELC recipients to provide a milestone checklist or progress updates and discuss any TTA needs.
Audience: CDMCF ELC Award Recipients
To join the Public Health Peer Group, email us at bjacdmcf@cna.org.
Upcoming Dates
Wednesday, June 5, 2024, 12:00–1:00 p.m. Eastern
BJA’s CDMCF Training and Technical Assistance Center
The Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) COVID-19 Detection and Mitigation in Confinement Facilities (CDMCF) Training and Technical Assistance (TTA) Center provides support to jurisdictional health and corrections authorities in implementing COVID-19 detection and mitigation strategies in confinement facilities consistent with criminal justice standards and practices.
About BJA’s CDMCF TTA Provider
The CNA team, which includes the American Correctional Association (ACA), the American Jail Association (AJA), and the Correctional Leaders Association (CLA), works with funding recipients and confinement facilities to understand their needs and offer customized TTA solutions.
BJA’s CDMCF TTA Center provides access to resources and support on how to use the funding, including understanding allowable costs, strategies for engaging confinement facilities, and the sharing of best practices.
TTA is available to:
- ELC recipients and their jurisdictional corrections authorities
- State, territorial, local and private confinement facilities, regardless of whether they are receiving CDMCF funding
Benefits
The TTA provider will provide access to information and support:
- Customized TTA action planning based on a needs assessment
- Guidance on using available funding
- Peer-to-peer collaboration and learning
- Webinars highlighting best practices, lessons learned, and other aspects of program implementation
- Curriculum development and training delivery (train-the-trainer)
- Development of detection and mitigation strategies and resources, as well as access to updated guidance, tools, and information
- Support with the development and tracking of performance measures to highlight the impact of your activities
- Access to a cadre of subject matter experts in correctional operations, correctional health care, curriculum development and training, corrections administration and public health
Cadre of Subject Matter Experts:
- Correctional health care directors
- Corrections inspection and monitoring professionals
- Epidemiologists
- Current and former executive-level correctional administrators
- Prison reform and policy stakeholders
- Public health professionals
- Academics
- Data analysis and modeling experts
The CNA Team
reports
videos
- Office Hours: End of the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency
- An Innovative Approach to Detect and Mitigate COVID-19 in New York State Local Jails
- Detection and Mitigation of COVID-19 in Confinement Facilities: Introductory Webinar for Confinement Facilities
- COVID-19 Detection and Mitigation in Confinement Facilities Training and Technical Assistance Informational Webinar
- Detection and Mitigation of COVID-19 in Confinement Facilities Award Updates
- COVID-19 in Correctional Facilities: Updates to CDC Guidance and Available Funding
CONTACT
Contact us with questions or requests for more information
bjacdmcf@cna.org