Correlation Network II

www.correlation-net.org

Correlation Network II – Newsletter 1 November 2009

Expert group HIV/AIDS Policy Recommendations

Universal access is a necessary step to achieving the fundamental human right to health of every person. The promotion of ‘Universal Access to HIV prevention, treatment, care and support’ will ultimately ensure that people have equal access to services, regardless of their socioeconomic status, gender, ethnicity, race, sexual orientation, profession, background, or abilities. In order to reach this objective the civil society response to HIV/AIDS epidemic needs to be efficient, sustainable and policy-oriented.

Populations at risk of HIV infection include some of the most vulnerable groups in society. Evidence based approaches focusing on different settings and specific groups allow people at risk and patients to influence programs and policies that affect them.

Patients, marginalised and vulnerable populations need to be empowered and have tools to advocate for sustainable strategies for prevention, continuous care and support. This need especially exists in Eastern Europe, where we still face a hidden epidemic and access to treatment is lacking.

In the ‘Universal Access’ year, the Correlation project will identify obstacles and barriers to access to treatment, prevention, care and support by focusing on four vulnerable groups: MSM, sex workers, drug users and migrants. The documentation of good practice examples collected in five European countries will be turned into policy recommendations that will be used to stimulate the dialogue between policy-makers and the community.

The first meeting of the expert group took place in Amsterdam on 19-21 June. Partners and experts from 12 different European countries shared their experiences and agreed to contribute to different phases of the project. This important event allowed presentation and further development of the work plan and a thorough discussion on the methodology, timeline and outcomes.

The output of the work will be a publication summarizing evidence on HIV policy and practice for four vulnerable groups in five European regions. The policy seminar scheduled for the end of 2010 will be the first step to lift the recommendations towards a policy level and to include the main obstacles faced by vulnerable groups in the political agenda.

The European Aids Treatment Group has a leading role; two experts will be subcontracted to carry out research-related tasks. Four collaborating partners will be responsible for the subgroup coordination: Matthias Wienold (EMZ and Aids and Mobility) for MSM, Justin Gaffney (Sohoboyz) for sex workers, Luis Mendão (GAT) for drug users and Bryan Teixeira (Naz) for migrant and mobile populations.

An outline of the first policy issues that need to be addressed was developed during the meeting. Next steps include the desk review of scientific, grey and policy documents for the creation of the report. A writer, health economist and an expert group, coordinated by the EATG, will work together to achieve this goal.

In order to identify main policy issues interviews will be carried out to the experts. At country level, we will identify: existing programs and policies in the five regions; models and legislation in place; good practices and gaps. We will also compare interventions and actions, looking at the same time to the cost-effectiveness of interventions as a way to ensure realistic and sustainable recommendations.

There are a few issues that still have to be decided in the near future: the five countries will be short-listed out of a list of 9 countries voted during the meeting: Spain, the UK, the Czech Republic, Ukraine, Germany, the Netherlands, Hungary, Switzerland, Portugal.

At the moment, we are looking for two additional experts, a writer and a health economist, to be subcontracted for production of the final document.

Open Call - Writer and Subgroup Coordinators

Contact:

Ana Lúcia Cardoso

Project Leader

HIV/AIDS Policy Recommendations

Place Raymond Blyckaerts 13

1000 Brussels

Belgium

0032 2 626 96 42

analucia.cardoso@eatg.org

www.eatg.org

Summary

The overall aim of Correlation II is to tackle health inequalities in Europe and to improve prevention, care and treatment services, targeting blood-borne infectious diseases (BBID), in particular Hepatitis C and HIV/AIDS among vulnerable and high risk populations (e.g. drug users and young people at risk).

The project will:

• review models of good practice
• implement field testing’s
• develop guidance documents
• develop and implement training modules
• support and strengthen capacities of health service providers
• influence policy agendas by formulating evidence based policy recommendations in regard to HIV and AIDS prevention, care and treatment

EATG is work package leader “WP8 – Policy-HIV/AIDS – review and policy recommendations”. EATG will identify obstacles and barriers to HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment and care, document good practice examples, formulate evidence based policy recommendations and promote effective health policies, by providing evidence based information (collected and summarised in the various work packages) and organising policy debates between policy makers and health practitioners. WP8 will also contribute to the development of policy recommendations and support the various core work packages by doing so.

Why

The health situation in Europe is still characterized by considerable health inequalities. Not all parts of society have the opportunity to access existing health services, and tailored services for specific groups are often non-existent. The prevalence of BBID is high in vulnerable populations. The project will substantially contribute to filling this gap and contributes to the European Health Programme by collecting, developing and disseminating information regarding BBID. A European-wide network of experts will serve as an important tool to achieve the project’s objectives.

What

• Provide and facilitate a platform of exchange and mutual support for service providers and peer educators all over Europe (network function)
• Collect, review and analyse existing evidence and information from national level and transporting them to the European level (documentation centre, standardisation)
• Address local or national health constraints (e.g. Health incidence, HIV treatment compliance, address various high risk communities) and compare them with responses in other settings
• Organise joint actions for different stakeholders (expert groups)
• Organise European seminars and events to increase capacities among health service providers
• Link different European networks and initiatives and transnational activities
• Bridge the gap between policy and practice on European level, national and practical experiences that will be transported to a policy level (address the policy aspects of the proposed methods, e.g. evidence for implementation of an innovative method)
• Take into account EU policies regarding the public health policies and the health inequalities agenda
• Involve EFTA countries and establish partnerships with organisation from neighbour countries, assure transnational cooperation
• Cooperate with other European networks and bodies such as WHO Europe, EMCDDA or Pampidou Group adding value to the project results
• Review and analyse existing evidence and models of good practice with standardised criteria and by providing evaluated new tools and strategies on European level, contribute to the provision of comparable data, information and standardisation.

Contact

EATG Secretariat - Ana Lúcia Cardoso

Correlation team - Eberhard Schatz