The health departments of Cambridge and Somerville, MA, and the Cambridge Health Alliance, a health care system serving the two cities, convened a multidisciplinary group to conduct and evaluate a community hepatitis improvement project. The group defined its priority populations to include adolescents, injection drug users, men who have sex with men and immigrants of areas where Hepatitis is endemic. Injection drug users were selected as the first population and two interventions, both of them vaccination projects, were designed. The group worked with North Charles Institute for the Addictions, the agency that runs a methadone maintenane program, and Cambridge Cares About AIDS, an agency that runs a Needle Exchange Program. Hepatitis A and B vaccine will be offered to clients at both programs, to decrease morbidity and mortality of Hepatitis in the community. Both programs are scheduled to start in early 2000 and we will have process evalation and outcome data to report by early fall. Additionally, lessons learned in the process will prove valuable to communities seeking to replicate the project.
Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of the session, participants will be able to: 1. Describe the community Hepatitis improvement project in Cambridge and Somerville, MA 2. Apply lessons learned to community improvement projects in other communities
Keywords: Community Collaboration, Injection Drug Users
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: Cambridge Health Alliance
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.