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Learning Objective:
By the end of this presentation, participants will be able to identify common points of conflict between doctors and IVDUs seeking care for hepatitis, as well as ways to overcome them.
Background:
Between IVDUs and the medical community exist barriers, both perceived and actual. It is partly as a result of these barriers that untreated Hepatitis C is a major health problem in the IVDU community; studies estimate that over 80% of IVDUs are HCV+. Many IVDUs don't access care in traditional medical settings, and instead rely on harm reduction centers for services like syringe exchange and methadone.
Setting:
The Hepatitis Project was begun by NYU School of Medicine students 6 years ago at the Lower East Side Harm Reduction Center in NYC, with the goal of providing screening, vaccination, and counseling for Hepatitis A, B, and C to the IVDU community.
Population e.g. API Youth, MSM, IDU:
IVDUs.
Project Description:
We intend to demonstrate ways to circumvent barriers to IVDU medical care by sharing the methods of The Hepatitis Project. Because our students and primary care providers are trained in medical principles, we have the unique opportunity to discuss hepatitis at a more in-depth level than the clients may receive elsewhere. Our location within the harm reduction center itself allows us to provide clients with a relaxed and friendly introduction to medical professionals in a setting where they feel comfortable.
Results/Lessons Learned:
Part of the barriers that our clinic faces are with the harm reduction centers and staff, in that there is a commonly-held belief that the medical model runs contrary to the basic principles of harm reduction. We believe that clients are best served by an integration of harm reduction and medical principles, in which they receive medical services from well-trained and open-minded health professionals in the same location as they access harm reduction services like syringe exchange.
See more of B4 - Enhancing Hepatitis C Prevention in Syringe Exchange Programs
See more of The 2005 National Viral Hepatitis Prevention Conference