The efforts of Health through Walls are of some urgency because reducing HIV and tuberculosis in the world requires intervention in the overcrowded prisons of nations struggling with social and economic hardship. Prisoners carry disproportionately high amounts of infectious disease. Infectious diseases such as HIV and tuberculosis are often introduced into prison by newly arriving prisoners. If these diseases are not properly identified and managed, they can spread. Even more dangerous is the potential for the development of diseases which are resistant to common treatments. This phenomenon has been documented in many prison systems throughout the world. The condition can easily transmit to correctional staff and visitors. Eventually, most prisoners return to their communities and further the risk of transmission.
Additionally, most inmates come from poor communities or high risk environments. They often had little prior exposure to regular health care services. Correctional health care programs are uniquely positioned to screen and identify health conditions of which the inmate might have been previously unaware. This creates an opportunity for disease education, early intervention, and adoption of healthy behaviors to reduce further health burdens.
World health experts recognize prisons as important points of intervention for the control, identification and treatment of infectious disease and other illness. Prison-based health interventions have proven to be beneficial and effective, resulting in lower burden of disease in communities. Prison health professionals in most countries understand this potential, but often lack the resources to be most effective. Health through Walls seeks to assist countries in making these strategies a success.
Health through Walls
Board of Directors
Executive Board
President: John P. May, MD
Vice President: Michelle Karshan
Secretary/Treasurer: Mark C. Andrews
Directors
Asresahegan Getachew, MD
Pierre Dorsainvil, MD
David L. Thomas, MD, JD
Johnnie Lambert, RN
Angela Deal, PhD
William Maddox, Esq.
About Health through Walls
Health through Walls is a non-profit organization based in South Florida, whose mission is to assist the Caribbean, African, and other countries, in implementing sustainable improvements to health services within their penitentiaries. A primary focus of the effort is the indentification, prevention, and mangement of infectious disease, especially HIV and tuberculosis.
Health through Walls works in partnership with local correctional administrations and health care staff of developing nations to assist their efforts in delivering effective and quality health care. We partner with prison systems that demonstrate professional and ethical management while seeking continuous improvement. Several of these systems are severely overcrowded and lack sufficient resources. Health through Walls is currently working in Haiti, Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Tanzania, Ghana, and South Africa. 
While remaining apolitical, Health through Walls works with all stakeholders to find solutions to the health needs of prisoners. We cherish the privilege of working as a guest inside the prison walls, and respect the limitations and confidences of each situation. We bring voluteer doctors, nurses, and other correctional professionals into the prisons of our host countries, first to understand their needs and secondly to assist meeting them. Sometimes the missions involve direct patient services, and other times the work involves conducting needs assessments, technical training, policy review, or resource collection and donations. The volunteers of Health through Walls often travel on their own time and at their own expense. 
Since 2001, Health through Walls has provided technical assistance, training, resources, supplies, medicine, and direct patient care services to the prisons of several economically-disadvantaged countries. The founder and Medical Director of Health through Walls, Dr. John P. May, is an internist and expert in correctional health care and currently resides in South Florida. Dr. May has a long history of public service and has long been an organizer for effective healthcare delivery. He is a national and international advocate for adequate and appropriate healthcare services in jails and prisons, and in 2005 was awarded the Armond Start Award of Excellence.