Community Engagement
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Use of HIV Screening tool in facilities
Prevention Interventions are offered to the HIV negative Population and special emphasis given on scale up of Prevention Interventions for both Key and Priority Populations.
SBCC, PrEP, VMMC and Condom Distribution are key prevention Interventions being offered by the program
PrEP scale-up for Adolescents, Pregnant and Breast Feeding Women , Discordant Couples and Key Populations is our current focus in. an effort to reach epidemic control
CIDRZ piloted the concept of male friendly services in six facilities in Lusaka district of Zambia, with male providers in most cases.
Services are being provided either by dedicating a specific male consultation room within the out-patient department (OPD) where all men are fast-tracked to access all the services or an independent clinic only attending to men with it’s own consultation room, registry, dispensary, counseling room, and a male circumcision room.
Targeted interventions to reach men included; provision of “male friendly services” in sites with TxCurr >1000 – provide space or refurbish existing space where available; Extended clinic hours to make services accessible for working men; Targeted outreach to underserved locations when men are frequent (e.g. bus stops, markets); Venue based testing; Opening new non-traditional sites in locations where unmet need for men is high.
CIDRZ has employed communications and technical strategies to respond to the need gap and bring more men into care and treatment through the men’s clinics.
The Zambian health services have been traditionally structured in a 7-tier system of care: Health Posts (HP), Rural Health Centre (RHC), Urban Health Centre, Clinic, Level 1 Hospital, Level 2 Hospital and Level 3 Hospital.
These levels may have challenges with access, due to long distance, overcrowding or limitations in HIV services offered.
To mitigate this challenge, CIDRZ introduced the non-conventional / Unbranded Community Health Post (CP) in Lusaka Urban and Chongwe and subsequently in Western Province working with the Provincial Health Offices(PHOs).
The unconventional CP strategy dwells on decentralization of HIV-related service delivery to community level for increased and improved access to HIV services such as case identification, treatment and retention thereby overcoming the access barriers of stigma, transport cost and time.
These posts have been opened in Market places, bus stops, fish camps, communities with long distance to the health facility , informal settlements and farming communities that have difficulties accessing HIV services
Videos on ARV’s and healthy me
- Mass communication on radio spots and Television sensitizing communities about HIV
- Sensitization through Interpersonal communication by lay counselors at site level and during community outreach activities
- Entertainment education through street drama, radio serials and Music
- Facility based sensitization through posters and videos within the clinic, posters, room labels
- Service communication through trained providers at all levels
- Community engagement with stakeholders within the community to provide sensitization and capacity build them in HIV Prevention and Treatment : relevant departments for referrals such as the GBV units outside of the health sector, NHC’s, religious and traditional leaders.
