Prism Health North Texas program wins Governor’s Award
Prism Health North Texas’ Free World Bound program has been awarded the Reentry and Integration Division Award as part of the Texas Governor’s 2022 Criminal Justice Volunteer Service Awards.
The Free World Bound program, which works with ethnic minority individuals who are currently living with or are at risk for HIV and who are currently or previously incarcerated, includes HIV prevention services and linkage to medical care to help them succeed within society.
In late 2021, the program was awarded two grants by the Centers for Disease Control, allowing it to expand from 30 prisons to becoming available to any of the 61 prisons in the state of Texas. “Texas Department of Criminal Justice and this state are better because of these award recipients,” TDCJ Executive Director Bryan Collier said in a press release. “They are heroes who are making a profound and lasting impact on the lives of so many across the Lone Star State.” Daron Kirven, PHNTX senior director of community outreach, and Nadia Mitchell, program manager, accepted the award in Austin.
Kirven was essential to the establishment of the Free World Bound program in 2001, and has been integral to its development and expansion since then. “In the 21 years we have been working with incarcerated Texans through Free World Bound, we have been proud to provide support and solutions that lead to success upon reentry to society,” said Kirven. “I could not be more proud of the work accomplished and appreciate the recognition by the TCDJ.” In addition to linking the incarcerated individuals to medical care and providing HIV and STI testing, Free World Bound provides assistance with referrals to essential services, linkage to social services, procurement of HIV medication
