Prevention and
Outreach
Common Ground’s Prevention & Outreach Department strives to
create, implement and monitor effective and innovative HIV
prevention strategies that reduce the spread of HIV infection on the
Westside. Our programs are tailored to meet the needs of individuals
from many communities and are inclusive of interventions and
community activism which address other vital public health issues,
such as sexual health in general, homelessness, the Hepatitis C
epidemic, and drug use.
Our Programs are harm reduction programs which means
that we provide meaningful opportunities for you to question and, if
you so desire, to change potentially harmful behaviors in an
environment which is non-judgmental, peer-driven and focused on the
needs that you yourself have identified.
Common Ground’s Prevention Department Services & Activities
We provide the following in English and in Spanish on an
ongoing basis:
Educational workshops in local schools and social service agencies
Peer counseling and education for in-school youth
Street outreach and distribution of educational materials and harm
reduction supplies
Syringe exchange & drug overdose prevention
Drop-in center
Advocacy and community activism around HIV and other public health
issues
Living skills building
Resource and referral
HIV testing and counseling at over 15 sites on the Westside
Common Ground’s Prevention Programs
Venice Needle Exchange Program
Women’s Prevention Program
Teen Peer Education Program (Teen PEP)
HYPE (Homeless Youth Peer Education) (see
Homeless Youth Services)
HIV testing and Counseling (see
HIV Testing)
Needle Exchange Program in Venice
Why Needle Exchange?
Common Ground’s Needle Exchange Program (NEP) addresses the
fact that approximately one-third of new HIV infections can be
linked to the sharing of syringes and other injection paraphernalia.
Our goal is to stop the spread of HIV, Hepatitis B and C
and other diseases among injection drug users, their families and
communities by providing clean sterile syringes, safely disposing of
used ones, and disseminating safer injecting and safer sex materials
during street-based outreach several times per week on the Westside
of LA.
Staff and volunteers at our NEP sites in Venice provide not
only clean and sterile syringes, but also offer many other services
that address the health and well-being of injection and
non-injection drug users on the Westside of Los Angeles. We provide
a non-judgmental environment in which drug users can access services
that are not available anywhere else on the Westside. Our program is
peer-driven, which means that drug users and former users have
created and are implementing the NEP.
Please note that we also provide prevention services for
others in the community who we encounter during outreach, such as
sex workers, Spanish-speaking day laborers, people using crack and
alcohol, and individuals living on the street.
Services at the Needle Exchange
Venice
–
HOURS
HAVE CHANGED!!
Tuesday: 3-5 PM @ Venice Medical and Mental Health Services
717 Lincoln Blvd, LA 90291
Wednesday: 5-7 PM @ Venice Family Clinic
604 Rose Ave., LA 90291 (ask for Common Ground)
Friday: 3-5 PM @ 717 Lincoln Blvd
Inglewood
Tuesday:
9-11 AM
Thursday: 7-9 PM
At Inglewood Medical and Mental Health Services
4450 W. Century Blvd., Inglewood CA 90304
For other sites and times call (310) 314-5480 ext. 116
NEW! Prescriptions for Naloxone/Narcan in case of overdose
NEW! Hepatitis A & B vaccinations
Clean syringes and harm reduction kits
Safer injection instruction
Overdose prevention
On-site nurse
Abscess treatment and prevention
Substance use counseling
HIV testing
Safer sex information and materials
Legal advocacy
Food, blankets and hygiene kits
Culturally-sensitive street outreach
Referrals to drug treatment and other health and social services
NEP Facts
The Centers for Disease Control recommends that a user injects with
a clean syringe every time.
All major studies have shown that NEPs are effective in reducing HIV
transmission among participants.
All major studies have concluded that NEPs do not increase
drug use or the number of syringes in our community.
Needle exchange is legal in the City of Los Angeles and has been
recognized by the County of Los Angeles and the State of California
as a vital health intervention for our community.
Women’s Program
Why target prevention for women specifically?
Rates of HIV infection among women are rising rapidly. The
number of AIDS cases among women is doubling every year. HIV
disproportionately affects women of color, particularly among
African American and Latina women whose rates of infection are 17
and 6 times higher than for Caucasian women. Heterosexual contact is
the leading source of HIV infection for all women, with women 4
times more likely than men to become infected during vaginal
intercourse without a condom.
Other sociological factors put women at heightened risk for
HIV. Gender-based power dynamics, poverty, cultural mores, the
stigma associated with HIV, taboos around sexuality, and the lack of
viable prevention methods for women need to be addressed.
Addressing the unique health needs of women is a crucial
component of our continuum of care at Common Ground. Our current
services for women include:
Targeted street outreach to at-risk women
Education about HIV risks and sexual health in general
HIV testing and counseling
A weekly HIV "infected and affected" support group
Syringe exchange
HIV case management, medical, and treatment advocacy services
Ongoing training for staff and program participants regarding basic
reproductive health issues for women, such as microbicides research.
Based on a research-based program that was implemented in
several other countries including Haiti, Bangladesh and Uganda, in
2002 Common Ground piloted a sexual health/HIV intervention program
targeting Latina and African American women and their male sexual
partners ‘” the Power to Speak, The Power to Prevent” a women’s
Program to educate the community about sexual health and to
encourage women to communicate with their partners, children, family
and friends about sociological factors that put women at heightened
risk for HIV. The program addresses the following issues facing
women: gender-based power dynamics, poverty, cultural mores, the
stigma associated with HIV, taboos around sexuality, and the lack of
viable prevention methods for women. Stories gathered from this
initial phase of the program have been adapted into educational
materials. Peer educators from the community have been trained to
provide one-on-one and group interventions in order to increase
communication between men and women around issues of sexuality,
including behaviors associated with HIV transmission. If you are
interested in be part of this interesting project, contact Traci
Bivens-Davis at (310) 314 5480 extension 111.
Comments from
our participants:
“Now I feel
more open to speak about sex and Because of this program, I
can now talk about anything (having to do with sex) without
feeling ashamed. Before I joined this program, I could not do this
and The program has made me open” Beatriz, 30 years old
“I told him the
stories…I want him to be aware of the diseases that are out there…he
tells stories to his co-workers…ya…then he tells me things like this
guy is doing this and his wife doesn’t know it…I think it is good
when they are aware of what things they do that hurt their wife. It
is good that he tells them stories that are real…” Martha 28 years
old
Teen Peer Education Program (Teen PEP)
In 1992, Common Ground, together with the Santa
Monica-Malibu Unified School District, created a peer-to-peer-based
HIV education program training youth to talk to other youth about
HIV risks and other youth-related issues. The goal of Teen PEP is to
provide education and prevention tactics to in-school youth on the
Westside of Los Angeles to share with other youth to help stop the
spread of HIV/AIDS and other STIs and to address issues around
sexuality that are crucial to youth.
Why Target Teens?
Teens are the fastest growing group at risk for HIV. Two
teens are infected with HIV every hour in the United States. One in
four new HIV cases in the US occur in people under the age of 21.
African American and Latino youth make up 84% of new AIDS cases
among youth.
According to a study conducted by the Centers for Disease
Control, 75% of high school students have had sex by the time they
reach 12th grade, but only 50% of those who are sexually
active report consistent condom use. To date, Teen PEP has trained
hundreds and reached thousands of youth through classroom
presentations, street outreach, health fairs, conferences, and
mobile HIV counseling and testing services.
Teen PEP Trainings include:
HIV/AIDS 101: The Basic Facts
Public speaking skills
"Positively Speaking" – an HIV positive community member speaks
about his/her experiences
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Sexuality and diversity training
Group discussion
Role-playing
Creative activities and games related to sexual health
Common Ground also provides the following resources for
schools:
HIV 101 workshops
On-site HIV testing
Speakers on various public health issues
Safer sex workshops
Youth talk about Teen PEP:
"I’ve learned a lot about my leadership skills. I’ve also
learned a lot about my own personal values and what I am looking for
in my life and how to get it without risking my future." ---SAMOHI
student, 17.
"It teaches not only about the disease, but about
respecting yourself and having compassion for all people. Not enough
people my age learn these ideas." –SAMOHI student, 16.
"I have been an educator for four years and I feel that by
being an educator I can possibly prevent the disease from
spreading."
---Olympic
High student, 17
For more information, visit the following sites
www.harmreduction.org
www.dancesafe.org
www.hcvadvocate.org
www.hivstopswithme.com
www.cablepositive.org
www.beingaliveconnections.com
www.youth.org
www.youthresource.com
www.oasismag.com
www.laglc.org
www.bienestar.org
www.Thebody.com
www.hivtest.org
See our
FAQ Page for Questions and Answers about HIV and AIDS
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