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(07) 3105 7800
Turrbal and Jagera Country
Level 4, 348 Edward Street
Brisbane QLD 4000
Go Rural Virtually (GRV) is an online forum tailored for health students across all disciplines and year levels, providing a valuable opportunity to learn about the day-to-day realities of practising and living in remote and rural areas as well as exploring the unique issues and topics facing healthcare today.
On October 29, we held our tenth GRV webinar, this time bringing attendees behind the walls of Queensland correctional facilities to explore how clinical care is delivered and experienced within prison environments. Event facilitator and Future Workforce Team Leader, Meredith Connor set the scene with some key facts and figures on Queensland prisons and an overview of the health services that support these settings. Our guest speakers included healthcare professionals working within correctional settings, and individuals with lived experience of incarceration, each offering their insights on prison healthcare.
Dr Louis Peachey, Senior Medical Officer at Lotus Glen Correctional Centre, provided an overview of the facility and spoke candidly about how disparities in lifestyle privileges often shape the paths leading to incarceration, a reality particularly evident for Indigenous people.
Jo Drinkwater, Nurse Unit Manager at Lotus Glen, shared her career journey and the broad skill set required in a nurse-led practice within a correctional facility. She described her work as being part of "a community within a community”, highlighting the varied facets of correctional healthcare and what a typical day entails. Former prisoner Wayne offered a contrasting perspective on healthcare access, describing the processes and limitations faced by prisoners needing even basic medications, such as paracetamol.
Speaking from the Secure Unit at Brisbane’s Princess Alexandra Hospital, Nurse Unit Manager Suruj Noor walked listeners through the process of admitting and caring for prisoners, including safety considerations. When asked about handling aggressive patients, Suruj noted that she had learned aggression often stems from unmet needs and that listening is key to effective care.
Given the prevalence of mental illness in prisons, Sami Hall’s insights as the parent of a daughter who is currently incarcerated, shed light on the challenges in accessing mental health treatment within these settings. Yvonne, a former prisoner, underscored how the powerlessness of incarceration can severely impact mental health. Dr Peachey also spoke to the reluctance of Indigenous prisoners to seek mental health treatment, despite the disproportionately high rates of suicide among them.
Dr Emma Clow, who leads the Opioid Dependence Program at Lotus Glen, tackled the significant issue of drug use within prisons. She shared how her understanding of addiction has evolved through her work, explaining her commitment to supporting prisoners through the difficult process of tapering off drugs. As their “biggest champion”, she plays a key role in supporting them through recovery, a dedication that has made the program increasingly effective. A poignant moment occurred when a student asked, "How do you get past feeling like you're letting people down due to limitations in the prison system?" Dr Clow replied: “You cannot change the world, but you can change the world in front of you.”
To close the session, each speaker was invited to share one takeaway for future, and current health professionals about healthcare in correctional facilities. A common theme emerged: the importance of keeping an open mind and relating to each prisoner as an individual! Dr Peachey encapsulated this sentiment, saying, "We [as health professionals] are often judged throughout our lives on our best day, whereas prisoners are judged forevermore on their worst day. That is the gross unfairness of the incarceration system!"
If you missed the event, you can watch the recording below.
To view previous Go Rural Virtually webinar topics, go to our webpage via the button below.
