Back to Projects Home – HDWG Home

Consulting Services to Develop a Strategic Plan to Integrate HIV and Hepatitis Prevention and Treatment Services with Substance Abuse Services

The Health and Disability Working Group at the Boston University School of Public Health is providing consulting services for the Bureau of Substance Abuse Services (BSAS), the HIV/AIDS Bureau and the Center for Disease Control Bureau of the Massachusetts Department of Public Health to coordinate a joint planning effort around the integration of HIV, Hepatitis and substance abuse treatment services. The Substance Abuse Mental Health Services Administration is sponsoring this planning effort through September 30, 2001.

The goal of the project is to develop a strategic plan to integrate HIV and hepatitis prevention and treatment services into substance abuse services through a community planning process in three major cities of the state, with the aim of replicating this model statewide. In order to achieve this goal, the project has convened an HIV, Hepatitis and Addiction Services Integration (HHASI) planning committee to assess the current status of service integration and to devise a strategic plan for implementation. The focus of this grant is on people of color (specifically Latinos and African-Americans) who are at high-risk for or currently suffering from addiction, HIV and Hepatitis C infections.

Following is the timeline for the HHASI project:

January
HHASI core team was formed.
First HHASI statewide meeting to launch the initiative

February – April
Meeting with SAMHSA in D.C.
Two regional planning meetings in each of the three regions (Boston, Central and Western regions). Consumer focus groups in each region.

May
First draft of the strategic plan

June
Second statewide meeting to get feedback on the strategic plan

July – August
Revisions to the strategic plan

September
Finalize the strategic plan for integration HIV/Hepatitis/Addiction Services in Massachusetts

The Health and Disability Working Group is functioning as the project coordinator for this project. Key staff for this project include Carol Tobias, M.M.H.S., principal investigator and Viviana Abuchar, M.S.W., the project coordinator.