Community Readiness Project

 

Outreach to Influence:
A Community Readiness and Effective Prevention of  Hepatitis C project (PHAC funded)

In September 2010, the PHCN submitted a project proposal to the regional PHAC office in response to a call for proposals.  The proposal has been recommended for funding and has now been sent on, with all other recommended proposals from within the province, for final review and processing.  With delays due to the federal election, this project is now commencing July 2011.

 

Project Description:
Working with local partners in 2 areas of the province (from either Fraser East, Central Vancouver Island or northern BC) to identify and then work with a community in that area that:

  • Has little or no awareness of hepatitis C
  • Has little to no services for people at risk for hepatitis C infection
  • Has at least two people who are aware of and concerned about hepatitis C and effective prevention (people living with, at risk for or affected by hepatitis C; service providers)
  • Can commit to following the project through

The project will use the Community Readiness model (with community members) to assess where the community is at in terms of effective hepatitis C prevention.  Once those are completed, project staff will continue to support communities to design and implement an ‘intervention’ based on the results of the CR survey results.  These will be hepatitis C prevention-focussed projects and could range from a basic hepatitis C education and awareness campaign to first steps towards effective prevention activities in the community.

The communities will present about their projects at a HCCBC Conference and potentially at other conferences and events, such as PAN.

Project deliverables:

  • 2 Community Readiness assessments, one in each of 2 communities in different areas in the province
  • Capacity building (both within the community and at 2 learning events with all project participants)
  • Potential practical steps to improving existing or establishing new effective hepatitis C prevention services.  Project staff would support and assist with building partnerships and linkages to resources to community members and stakeholders ready to take practical action towards effective hepatitis C prevention.
  • Promising or best practice tools stemming from community interventions (focussed, time-limited hepatitis C prevention projects)


The target populations for this project include:

  • People living with, affected by and vulnerable to and at-risk for hepatitis C and STBBIs
  • Health and social service providers
  • Community stakeholders


PHAC Hepatitis C Program funding priorities:
Knowledge Development

Capacity Building

 

Partner organizations:
BC Centre for Disease Control – Hepatitis Services/BC-HRSS (assistance with accessing resources and expertise; participation on Project Advisory)

Pacific AIDS Network (potential shared skills-building and sharing resources)

CATIE (conference and educational resources)

ANKORS (Kootenay-Boundary region; expertise in community readiness and effective prevention; participation on Project Advisory)

Community-based organizations and health services in each of the areas.

For information on the above or other PHCN activities and to become a member, contact Deb Schmitz,  Executive Director, PHCN at 604 886 9539 or deb@pacifichepc.org

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