Span News

	SPAN NEWS
	In this Issue: PROJECT START: A Positive Prevention Initiative Being a visiting prison HIV doctor: David Stone, MD SPAN, INC PARTICIPATES IN AIDS WALK 2010 COMMON IMPACT: Connecting Corporate Professionals to High-Potential Nonprofits PROJECT START: A Positive Prevention Initiative With funding from the Center for Disease Control and its “Replicating Effective Programs” (REP), Span - in conjunction with the MA DPH - piloted the Project START intervention package in Boston. Our goal was to examine how readily the intervention could be taught, implemented, and outcomes identified. Taking this step was the last piece of obtaining approval from the CDC for distribution as a REP. The project is based upon the following assumptions about the needs of incarcerated men: 1. HIV/STD intervention programs for incarcerated men who are being released should address strategies to reduce risk behaviors associated with HIV/STD transmission, and to address other needs like housing, employment, mental health issues and reintegration with family. 2. These intervention programs should cover the period from pre-release to reentry into the community. 3. The first weeks post-release are crucial. Risk behavior resumes soon after release. 4. Programs need to go beyond simply providing community referrals, to making facilitated referrals (locate "friendly" agencies and staff, call the agency and make the appointment, and follow up to make sure appointment is kept). 5. It is possible to maintain contact with men post-incarceration. It is resource-intensive and requires dedicated, well-trained staff. Now, Span offers Project START in Boston, working with men being released from state and county correctional facilities located in Suffolk County, and following through with the intervention in our office in Boston’s downtown crossing. Staff Lisa Marino and Nate Longtin comprise the treatment team, and are providing services at Boston State Pre-Release and South Bay House of Correction. Back to top
	Being a visiting prison HIV doctor: David Stone, MD For 16 years I have made the weekly trip out to the facilities, as I like to call them. But, they are prisons: MCI Shirley, Souza Baranowski, MCI Concord, Gardner Plymouth House of Correction, and also, Nashua Street, Billerica, Middleton, Lancaster and more. In the fall I call it my foliage trip, and I always pack a camera under the seat of the car. In the summer I roll back the sunroof and enjoy the sun. I have been out in blizzards and I have been at the gate when lightning has struck along the fence. I recall watching the towers fall on 9/11 from MCI Shirley. Going to my clinic has been an important part of my life. Why do I do it? Because I care; because of the people I serve. Having people who care about you should be part of everyone's life, healthy or not, and especially when you are in prison. I have seen terrible things, and I have seen wonderful things, people struggling in spite of huge odds. I have seen good people trying to make a difference. In the end who cares? Someone has to. It is necessary to do what you think is right. On Monday night I had dinner with one of my old case managers, an angel of a woman, and I have met many people like her in my 16 years in prison health care and all are appreciated by the clients. I have seen many of my patients in the prison and in the street, from the facilities to the communities, and in some cases, back and forth. I provide care on the inside and outside. The only difference is the wait is longer on the outside. Most of my patients do well. Some relapse, most survive. These years have given me great insight into the lives of some of the most colorful and interesting people one could ever meet. At one point I wanted to be a neurosurgeon. Now I would not trade my experiences with anyone. For a while, in the 90s I was on the Admissions Committee of a medical school. On Tuesdays, I would start at Shirley, zip back to Boston to interview kids for medical school, go to intercity conference and discuss difficult cases, zip home and eat, and then head out to the bowling league. There, I would bowl with bankers, lawyers, computer scientists and the like. Frequently I would fall asleep before my string would come up. They always asked me how my day was, and I could never find the words to describe how rich it was. So why do I go to prisons? I go since it is what I was trained to do. It is a challenge. It is rich in experiences. It is always different and it is fun. Back to top
	SPAN, INC PARTICIPATES IN AIDS WALK 2010
	On June 6th, 2010, Span staff, clients, and friends met up for breakfast, donned Span t-shirts, and walked together to the Hatch Shell to begin the AIDS Walk together as a Span family. Click here for some photos from the event! Back to top

COMMON IMPACT: Connecting Corporate Professionals to High-Potential Nonprofits

Several months ago, Span applied to Common Impact seeking financial and practical support for the further development of our website and overall marketing plan.

“Common Impact is a nonprofit organization that connects skilled professionals from global companies to high-potential local nonprofits. We match employee-volunteers with nonprofits that need help overcoming key business challenges. ….Ultimately, our work helps foster stronger communities wherever those companies operate.” (www.commonimpact.com)

Span applied and was selected to receive Common Impact support!

For several months, Span’s Director of Data, Research and Evaluation Annie Madden, along with Executive Director, Lyn Levy, have been meeting with from Common Impact to set up the project: a new Span website.

Through Common Impact, Span has been partnered with State Street Corporation. State Street's employees are volunteering their time and energy to help Span build a new website through both through face to face meetings at Span and through international telephone conference calls with State Street employees in France and China. State Street

The end result will be a better Span website, new logo and more effective plan for publicizing the excellent and important work of Span, Inc.

Click here for Archived Span News.