Project title

Main goal of the project is to reduce the risky behaviour of individuals using injecting drugs.

Project objectives:

• To expand the spectrum of provided harm reduction services.
• To increase the quality of the services provided in Kaunas City Social Service Centre's Social Disease (Low-threshold service) cabinet.
• To stimulate IDU's to use accessible health care and social services and to test them for infectious diseases.
• To train the clients for provision of harm reduction services through active users, i.e. secondary exchange.
• To spread information about the project in local media.
• To ensure better analysis of existing and future data in Kaunas City Social Service Centre's Social Disease (Low-threshold service) cabinet.

During the project implementation additionally to the provided low-threshold services through the active drug users who participate in harm reduction programme, the centre was looking for the clients who could do secondary exchange. 9 clients were motivated for this activity, but later 3 of them stopped their work in the project. Harm reduction programme clients were providing sterile injecting equipment for those drug users who avoid any contacts with the staff of the social disease (low-threshold service) cabinet. During the project implementation contacts were established with 11 "points", but due to the project participants who terminated their activities 5 of them became inaccessible. Through the secondary exchange 91 IDUs were reached in the streets and 195 IDUs in the "points". Even 98% of the injecting drug users reached in the streets became the participants of the social disease (low-threshold service) cabinet NSP programme.

During the project period 209 IDUs were registered in the social disease (low-threshold service) cabinet NSP programme, 162 of them are new. 172 of them are regular clients, i.e. they visit cabinet more than 2 times a month. The average number of IDUs reached though secondary exchange including the "points" - 23.

During the project period social services in social disease (low-threshold service) cabinet were provided 4623 times (information - 94, consultations - 559, health education - 275, intermediation and referring - 194, needle and syringe exchange service - 3501 times).

Due to the expansion of the harm reduction services in Kaunas City the demand for the infectious diseases (HIV, HBV, HCV) testing had increased. 234 combined HIV, HBV, HCV tests were done for 207 individuals during the project. Received positive results: HIV - 12, HBV - 6, HCV - 112. From those new cases are: HIV - 7, HBV - 6, HCV - 54. All the rest could be considered as new cases as well, because the clients had never been treated.

General practitioners had provided 2784 services (blood sampling, wound cleaning, dressing and other) for 681 clients.

Main indicators:

• Number of clients - 516;
• Number of NSP programme participants - 209;
• Number of IDUs reached by secondary exchange - 286;
• Number of IDUs who were tested for HIV, HBV, HCV - 163;
• Number of distributed syringes - 28190;
• Number of distributed needles - 14796;
• Number of collected syringes - 30697;
• Number of collected needles - 19948;
• Number of distributed condoms - 1600;
• Number of distributed spirit sponges - 8570;
• Number of provided social worker consultations - 4623;
• Number of provided general practitioner consultations - 2784;
• Number of clients trained for secondary exchange - 9.

UNODC budget