Barriers and facilitators of implementing a collaborative HPV vaccine program in an incarcerated population: A case...

Men and women in county jails make up a population that is difficult to reach with traditional preventive health interventions. Collaborations between local health departments and county jails represent an opportunity to enhance public health by reaching a vulnerable population with services like vaccinations. The objective of this study was to coordinate planning and implementation of a collaborative program between a local health department (HD) and a county jail to offer human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccinations to adolescents (ages 10-17) and young adults (ages 18-26) in the jail and to identify facilitators and barriers to inform future program development.

A county-municipal jail and a local HD in Kansas participated. A case study method was employed based on data collected from a focus group, telephone interviews, and site observations, September 2016 to December 2017. Data were coded using codes roughly drawn from the consolidated framework for implementation research (CFIR). Codes were then consolidated into themes related to barriers and facilitators.

No adults were vaccinated; two juveniles were vaccinated. Barriers to a collaborative program to offer HPV vaccine to young adults arose in two areas: constrained resources and divergent organizational cultures and priorities. Barriers to offering HPV vaccinations to juveniles in the jail included parental consent and the unpredictable, often brief duration of juvenile detentions. A shared commitment to offering HPV vaccination services by leaders and staff in the two agencies was a key facilitator.

Finding ways to leverage leadership and staff buy-in and address specific barriers of constrained resources and divergent culture and priorities merits close attention, since partnerships between jails and local HD have potential to increase HPV vaccination rates in an overlooked population and advance public health.