ALBUQUERQUE, NM — As we observe World Hepatitis Day on July 28, Project ECHO at The University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center highlights a homegrown innovation transforming correctional health. The Peer Education Project (PEP) trains people who are incarcerated to become health educators, equipping them to teach peers how to prevent, test and treat for hepatitis C.
“What makes peer education so effective is that it empowers the community to address its own challenges,” says Daniel Rowan, senior program manager of Project ECHO’s Justice and Civics programs. “It’s a way to find purpose, build connection and make a meaningful contribution, even in the most challenging environments.”
Rowan began as a peer educator while incarcerated. After his release, he was hired by Project ECHO as its first full-time peer educator. Today, he leads the very program that once changed his life.
A Proven Public Health Model with Measurable Impact
Now in its 16th year, PEP has become a national model for eliminating hepatitis C in correctional settings. Since 2009, more than 1,118 peer educators have graduated, reaching more than 34,652 incarcerated people across New Mexico.
Launched by Project ECHO as a pilot in one prison, PEP now operates in all 10 New Mexico state correctional facilities and has been replicated in programs across the U.S. and internationally. When PEP began, no incarcerated people in New Mexico were receiving hepatitis C treatment. By 2021, more than 600 people received care that year, and by 2022, that number had climbed to over 1,500.
These gains reflect a comprehensive public health strategy led by the New Mexico Corrections Department and New Mexico Department of Health, combining universal screening at intake, expanded access to affordable hepatitis C treatment, peer-led education, and Project ECHO’s training for correctional health care providers. Roughly half of New Mexico’s incarcerated population tests positive for hepatitis C antibodies—one of the highest rates in the nation.
Changing Lives and Communities, One Peer Educator at a Time
With World Hepatitis Day approaching, Rowan and others hope to raise awareness of this proven, human-centered model.
“We believe incarceration should be a time to create a healthier and more productive life,” Rowan says. “Over 90 percent of the people in prison today will return to their communities¹. What we do now determines who they’ll be when they get home.”
“Being a peer educator helped me find my voice and gave me a passion for service,” Rowan adds.
PEP’s impact goes beyond health literacy and testing. Studies show peer education matches professional instruction in effectiveness, at a lower cost². By trusting incarcerated people to lead, PEP reduces stigma and builds trust.
From Prison Classrooms to Community Reentry
Following the success of the PEP program, Project ECHO launched the Community Peer Education Project (CPEP) in 2020 to support people transitioning out of incarceration. Today, many former peer educators work in their communities, guiding individuals on probation or parole through challenges such as housing, employment, and access to health care.
Learn more about Project ECHO’s New Mexico Peer Education Project.
ABOUT PROJECT ECHO
Founded in 2003, Project ECHO is a global, not-for-profit organization, headquartered at The University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center. ECHO empowers practitioners in rural and underserved areas to reduce disparities and improve the well-being of people in the communities where they live. ECHO’s low-cost virtual mentoring model addresses some of the world’s greatest challenges in clinical medicine and public health.
1 – Pew Center on the States. State of Recidivism: The Revolving Door of America’s Prisons. The Pew Charitable Trusts, April 2011
2 – Bagnall et al. A systematic review of the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of peer education and peer support in prisons. National Institute of Health, 2015
