Establishing Adherence to ARVT

Title: Detection and support for HIV positive clients at the Leningrad oblast treatment and prevention facility to further establish adherence to ARVT.
 
Funded by: AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF Russia).
 
Time period: 1 January – 31 December, 2017.
 
Location: Vsevolozhsk, Vyborg, Gatchina, Lomonosov, Volkhov, and Tosnen regions of the Leningrad oblast.
 
Partners: Leningrad state center on the prevention of and fight against AIDS and infectious diseases.
 
Project Target: Reduce the rate of the HIV epidemic in the Leningrad oblast.
 
Objective 1:
 
Organize anonymous free rapid HIV testing for the public at prevention and treatment centers in Leningrad oblast with further support in linking clients with positive test results to infectious disease doctors to have their results confirmed and to be registered to receive medication.
 
Implementation Objective 1: At this time there are 6 rapid testing locations in the Leningrad oblast. During the project’s work 13,497 people have been tested, 928 cases of HIV infection were detected, and 801 people were linked to infectious disease doctors and registered.
 
Objective 2:
 
Establish adherence to antiretroviral treatment among HIV positive patients who are monitored in regional infectious disease doctor’s offices in the Leningrad oblast, with the support of multiprofessional teams (MPT).
 
Implementation of Objective 2: The project covers compensation for social workers and peer counselors in 6 regions of the Leningrad region. Over 4,000 people received counseling in issues relating to HIV infection, ARVT, safe sexual activity, and other topics.
 
Future Development:
 
The main tasks of the project now is to improve the quality of services which are offered by the MPTs, to increase the number of patients who are registered for monitoring, to increase the number of patients who are taking antiretroviral treatment and who have an unidentifiable viral load. In 2017 another region of the Leningrad oblast will be added to the project’s work.
 
Project Indicators:
 
This project has been carried out by NP E.V.A. since 2012. In this time 13,497 people have had rapid HIV testing, 928 cases of HIV have been detected, 801 of whom were linked to treatment: accompanied to an infectious disease doctor, registered for HIV infection. Over 3,700 patients are being monitored by regional multiprofessional teams and 2,350 of them are receiving ARVT.
 
Project website:
 
https://aids47region.ru
 
Social Network Groups:
 
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aids47region/
 
Vkontakte: https://vk.com/aids47region
 
Odnoklassniki: https://ok.ru/aids47region