Safety Counts is a cognitive-behavioral HIV/HCV prevention intervention for out-of-treatment active injection and non-injection drug users aimed at reducing both high-risk drug use and sexual behaviors. It is a behaviorally focused, four-month long intervention, which includes both structured and unstructured psycho-educational activities in group and individual settings. This intervention works well with CDC's Advancing HIV Prevention initiative as HIV testing is an integral part of the program. Clients can be recruited from testing programs and the sessions include a discussion of the importance of testing to the client. The intervention addresses the needs of both HIV-negative and HIV-positive clients.
Click on each topic below to learn more about Safety Counts:
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Core Elements
Original program developers identify the five core
elements as:
- Group Session One and Group
Session Two (identify client’s HIV risks and current stage
of change, hear risk-reduction success stories, set personal
goal, identify first step to reduce HIV risk, and make
referrals to C&T and medical/social services);
- One (or more) Individual
Counseling Session (discuss/refine risk-reduction goal,
assess client’s needs, and provide needed referrals to C&T
and medical/social services);
- Two (or more) Social Events
(share meal and socialize, participate in a planned
HIV-related risk reduction activity, and receive
reinforcement for personal risk reduction) ;
- HIV/HCV Counseling and Testing (offer the client
this service either through referrals or at the
implementing agency).
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Target Population
Safety Counts targets individuals who are currently
using drugs, including injectors and non-injectors, and
are not in drug treatment programs.
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Program Materials
- Program manual
- Handouts / worksheet master copies
- Program forms to track enrollment, client
participation, etc.
- Evaluation tools / forms
- Sample video
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Research Results
- Clients who were enrolled in
Safety Counts were
about 1.5 times more likely to reduce their drug- and
sex-related risks compared with clients in the standard
intervention.
- Clients who were enrolled in
Safety Counts were
more than 2.5 times more likely to self-report an
increase in condom use compared with clients in the
standard intervention.
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- Clients who were enrolled in
Safety Counts were
significantly more likely to self-report a reduction in
the number of times they inject and more likely to test
negative for opiates through urinalysis.
Rhodes, F., Wood, M.S. (1999). A cognitive-behavioral intervention to reduce HIV risks among active drug users. Paper presented at the
127th Annual Meeting of the American Public Health Association, Chicago, IL.
Rhodes, F., Humfleet, G.L. (1993). Using goal-oriented counseling and peer support to reduce
HIV/AIDS risk among drug users not in treatment. Drugs & Society (3/4):185-204.
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More Information on Safety Counts
To obtain additional information about the technical
assistance system and/or to get your name on a list for a
future training, please visit our website
www.effectiveinterventions.org. If you do not have
access to the web, you may also call (800) 462-9521, or
email interventions@aed.org
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