Hepatitis C Education and Prevention Project and Health Clinic for People Who Inject Drugs

This EOI has been developed in order to ascertain the interest in, and canvass the range of possibilities relating to the delivery of a Hepatitis C Education and Prevention Project and Health Clinic Targeting People who Inject Drugs. Output Deliverables will include but may not be limited to the following:

1. The provision of a Hepatitis C Education Project targeting people who inject drugs (PWID). The Project will be required to engage with PWID on hepatitis C and related issues via a range of strategies including outreach, and will also include:
• The development and/or dissemination of hepatitis C and related health promotion resources, as determined by the needs of the target group.
• Collaboration with other agencies to enhance service provision (for example, counseling, information and education) related to hepatitis C for PWID.
• Promotion and facilitation of consumer access to relevant health services.
• Provision of training and education relating to hepatitis C (in particular, from a drug user perspective) for health workers, other service providers and the community.
• Participation in relevant forums to represent drug users' issues concerning hepatitis C.

2. The provision of a nurse-led Health Clinic that will provide access for PWID to blood-borne virus (BBV) and sexually transmitted infection (STI) testing in conjunction with pre and post test discussion. BBV testing will include HIV, hepatitis B and C; and STI testing will include chlamydia, gonorrhoea and syphilis. Specialised hepatitis C testing, assessment and/or treatment referral will also be provided, including hepatitis C virus PCR, genotype and liver function tests. In addition the health clinic will provide hepatitis A and B vaccinations for PWID and referral as required and appropriate to specialist health services.

The clinic will also:
• Provide access to testing and vaccinations on an outreach basis to agencies that demonstrate regular contact with PWID.
• Provide a consultancy service to other health professionals and key stakeholders on clinical and health promotion matters related to injecting drug use.

The period of service provision will be between 1st October 2009 and 30th June 2012.