Hepatitis C Mentor And Support Group Inc

Results: To date, HCMSG has trained thousands, who have in turn touched tens of thousands of lives across the United States by creating these Circle model groups in their ownorganizations and communities.

Programs: In 2017, hcmsg facilitated trainings for hundreds of individuals in dozens of cities across the united states. Collaborations were established with reputable institutions including bronx lebanon hospital, evergreen health and erie county medical center in buffalo ny, john hopkins, pcori site, baltimore md. , university of miami idea se project, miami fl,ekim for change syringe exchange-greenville nc pitt county, st. Anns- sachr, washington corner project in ny. , hcmsg and street works collaborated -nashville, tn to implement trainings with other community organizations and the doh. Additionally, hcmsg facilitated healthcare provider training on hcv at the collaboration of care conference in greenville, nc, which addressed integrated healthcare and featured various organizations in attendance. Testing and education events were undertaken with positively living in knoxville tn, scott county and campbell county drug court using hcmsgs materials. Hcmsgs healthcare provider audio is now on aetcs website and was presented to doctors and providers at montefiore telehealth project inspire program. Importantly, we have seen an uptick in participation not only in our in-person trainings and information sessions, but also in our tele-support resources, which enable individuals to access services electronically. Gaining the trust of high risk communities such as, former and current injection drug users, lgbtq, co-infected with hiv, young adults and women of child bearing age, by showing them empathy, understanding, support and education. We must do this in a positive light or we will never gain their trust and therefor never be able to gain a handle on the disease of substance use disorder and hepatitis c which go hand in hand. By gaining their trust and honestly caring about their health, we are better able to address the injection drug user on their immediate health issues, and then treatment appropriate for their substance use disorder. This is harm reduction, reduce the harm by supporting and empowering people who use drugs to reach their full potential. We have to recognize that this is a process and a difficult goal to reach. Any positive change helps reduce the persons risk of getting hepatitis c or hiv. Hcmsg modifies its programming to address each stage of the treatment care cascade continuum through frequent trainings, information dissemination and strategic partnerships. We attend community task force meetings and work with the department of health in each state to bring together the community. Our target audiences have been: healthcare providers, primary doctors, infectious disease doctors, gis, residents, medical students, nurses, social workers, counselors, patient peers and staffs of organizations. Hcmsg has made a strong effort to evaluate programming so as to best understand the needs of its service population. Evaluations are collected at the end of all sessions that hcmsg conducts, which in turn aids us in maintaining a certain level of programming. Attendees are asked to provide feedback as to which parts of the training were most helpful and least helpful, thereby allowing hcmsg to better understand its strengths and weaknesses. Furthermore attendees are provided a space in which they can voice suggestions concerning how training sessions can be modified or what issues and topics should be added or omitted to the manual and group discussion. This ensures that attendees are equipped with the best possible tools when managing their respective communities. We encourage active participation and allow time for q&a. Hcmsg stays in contact with attendees and conducts tele support when needed. Pictures of some of these sessions are available. For the past seven years, hcmsg has brought much needed education and supportive services to one of the countrys most diverse patient populations, including baby boomers, those co-infected with hiv, substance use communities, the lgbtq community, youth, and women of child-bearing age. To date, hcmsg has trained over 1,000 facilitators, who have in turn touched tens of thousands of lives across the united states. Hcmsg has filled a niche and therefore continues to expand our programs. We stay in contact with our attendees and in some cases follow up through the use of our tele-support program. As we traveled the country, we learned to tailor our trainings to fit each organization and individual as needed. However, what we found in common, whether it be in urban or rural settings, is that if people are treated with respect and given the power through education and support to make healthy decisions, in many cases it can lead to the eventual stabilization of their lives.