Program «Preventing HIV/AIDS and other socially significant diseases among Injecting Drug Users»
This programme was launched in 1997 by an initiative of the International Humanitarian Organization
The programme’s base is the mobile prevention unit “Avtobus,” which is equipped with special rooms for medical and psychological counseling and a room for collecting blood samples. A highly qualified and multidisciplinary team, made up of medical professionals, social workers, psychologists, and case managers, carries out the prevention activities of this programme.
Program coordinator: Aleksander Komarovskij
Program goal:
To decrease the transmission rate of HIV/AIDS, viral hepatitis and other socially significant diseases among injecting drug users, their partners, and family members. To prevent violence, discrimination, and criminal activity among members of the target group.
Target group:
- Injecting drug users.
- HIV positive drug users, their families and loved ones.
- Female sex workers who abuse drugs, as well as their partners.
Methods of work:
- Mobile outreach work with the goal of establishing and maintaining long-lasting contact with injecting drug users.
- Talking with members of the target group about disease prevention, as well as handing out printed material about the prevention methods of HIV, viral hepatitis and sexually transmitted diseases.
- Needle Exchange program: a one-to-one exchange of used syringes for new, sterile injection equipment (needles, alcohol pads, water for injections) and barrier contraceptives.
- Anonymous and free testing for HIV, viral hepatitis B and C, syphilis, as well as counseling before and after.
- Medical, psychological, legal, and social counseling for IDUs.
- Referrals to counseling and consultations with our trusted doctors (which include infectious disease doctors, tuberculosis specialists, drug abuse specialists, STD and skin specialists, and OB-GYNs).
- Social support and providing access to social protection services and to services in state healthcare programmes.
- Monitoring the needs of members of the target group.
- Increasing the awareness of the target group about legal issues, violence prevention, criminal activity, and human trafficking.
Program Accomplishments:
On January 26th 2007 the Programme ‘Preventing HIV/AIDS and other socially significant diseases among Injecting Drug Users’ celebrated its 10th anniversary. Over that period, the outreach team went out onto the streets every day and socialized with members of the target group, talked about the programme and about the help that they can receive in the Prevention Unit (Avtobus). Members of the target group started to take advantage of the needle exchange program on a regular basis, received medical care and psychological counselling aimed at changing their behavior and attitude to their personal health. 
They also received support at state healthcare institutions and other social services through our referral system. Their individual cases were managed through our case management system.
Within the framework of the programme, the State Healthcare Institution opened a subunit of the existing AIDs centre, the ‘Centre for the prevention of, and the combat with, AIDS and other Infectious Diseases’. It is located at ulitsa Bumazhnaya, dom 12. The drop-in centre is open 3 days a week (Monday, Wednesday, Friday) from 6.00 PM to 9.00 PM. Outreach work is carried out from Monday to Friday from 3.00 PM to 6.00 PM. It is staffed by 2 social workers, a nurse and a case manager.
