Injecting drug use is the primary driver of the HIV epidemic in the northeast region of India. India’s National AIDS Control Organization (NACO) implements targeted interventions: peer-led, community-level prevention programmes for key populations, which are operated by NGOs. Project Sunrise, implemented by the CDC and FHI360 in collaboration with NACO, supports these programmes. Through this project, a package of services is provided to people who inject drugs in selected districts, including harm reduction, STI screening and linkage to HIV testing and ART centres. Project Sunrise employs field mentors to network with the community, NGO outreach teams and service providers to deliver services to people who inject drugs.
After India’s adoption of “treat all” in 2017, the project implemented a strategy to support ART initiation and improve access to ART among registered HIV care organizations for key populations, by providing refills at services offering opiod agonist therapy (previously opiod substituion therapy).
Field mentors have been employed to network with the community, NGO outreach teams and service providers to reach people who inject drugs. Project Sunrise is an example of out-of-facility individual model of ART delivery.
Impact: Over six months, preliminary results showed that field mentors reached 1,123 people living with HIV, navigated 444 people living with HIV to ART centres and documented ART initiation in 396 people living with HIV. To further enhance ART initiation among people who inject drugs, Project Sunrise also initiated pilots involving co-location of ART dispensation at three intervention sites providing opioid agonist therapy.
Building Blocks for the delivery of Project Sunrise’s services
ART refills
What
Navigation, needle and syringe programme, condoms, counselling, HIV screening, ART dispensing, opioid agonist therapy
When
Monthly
Where
Community sites providing opioid agonist therapy
Who
Peer field mentors for outreach
Clinical staff for ART dispensation
Clinical consultations
What
Clinical assessment
Laboratory examinations
When
6 monthly
Where
ART centres
Who
Clinicians
Psychosocial suport
What
Psychosocial support
When
Monthly, as required
Where
Community sites providing opioid agonist therapy
Who
Peer mentors
Further reading
Find out more about differentiating HIV services for key populations here. Also available in French and Portuguese.
