BRIDGE: Improving HIV Service Delivery for People Who Inject Drugs

Scaling up integrated, cost-efficient HIV services for people who inject drugs (PWID) in Needle Syringe Programs (NSPs) is urgently needed in Kazakhstan, where only one-third of the estimated 19,000 HIV-positive PWID are ever linked to HIV care and only 10% initiate ART with 4% achieving viral suppression. The study's aim is to evaluate the implementation, effectiveness, and sustainability of an integrated HIV service model in 24 NSPs located in 3 Kazakhstani city areas. This model will employ highly effective strategies that will include peer-driven recruitment of PWID in NSPs using social network strategies (SNS), integrating rapid HIV testing in NSPs with HIV Care Clinic nurses, and linking HIV positive PWID in NSPs to HIV care using the ARTAS (Anti-Retroviral Treatment and Access to Services) case management model. Findings will have important public health implications for improving HIV service delivery for PWID in the Central Asian region and other countries with injection driven epidemics.