[4]The HIV Prevention and Care among Populations at Risk in the Russian Federation (HPC) Program aims to prevent the spread of HIV infection in higher-risk groups through information-sharing and technical assistance programs, forming an effective model of providing medical and social services to target groups in Moscow and the Orenburg region.
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Since 2006, IREX has administered HPC with its implementing partner, the SANAM Foundation for Development and Support of Preventative Programs. HPC is funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in Russia.
• Cultivate partnerships with local health providers and NGOs to provide the technical assistance needed to develop low-threshold, client-friendly health services in the Eastern Zone of Orenburg region.
• Enhance capacities of NGOs and health facilities providing outreach and medical services to most at-risk populations (MARPs) in the Eastern Zone of Orenburg region.
• Develop SANAM’s outreach activities and clinical services in Moscow to include those most at risk for HIV-infection, including men who have sex with men (MSMs), commercial sex workers (CSWs) with substance abuse issues and their regular partners.
An estimated 940,000 individuals in Russia are living with HIV, with a hundred new cases diagnosed each day. By the end of 2007, almost 800 of every 100,000 Orenburg oblast residents were reported as having HIV. At that time, the average HIV incident rate in the Russian Federation was 277.2 per 100,000. Based on this rate, Orenburg is among the five Russian regions with the highest HIV incidence rates.
Technical Assistance for HIV Prevention in Orenburg Region: HPC provides training to medical and social services specialists on delivering services that raise awareness concerning HIV high-risk behaviors and promote effective and innovative teaching methods towards the targeted groups and the professionals that serve them HPC program implementers assist in coordinating and improving the interface between members of vulnerable groups and service providers such as NGOs, STI clinics, AIDS clinics and others. HPC program implementers also work with service providers to create conditions that encourage and motivate the targeted populations (commercial sex workers and their partners and men who have sex with men) to effectively utilize medical, prevention and counseling services.
HIV Prevention at SANAM Clinic in Moscow Region: SANAM has created and will continue to improve conditions and the clinical environment that encourage vulnerable populations to utilize medical, preventive and counseling services. SANAM diagnoses HIV/STIs, treats STIs, and works to reduce the risk of HIV infection. Additionally, SANAM seeks to improve the target groups’ access to information on preventative techniques.
irex@irex.org [6]