Heartland Alliance International, John Snow, Inc., FHI360-LINKAGES, Erasmus Medical Center and Leiden University Medical Center invite you to participate in a WEBINAR: “Integrating Mental Health and Psychosocial services into HIV services-A necessity to reach the 95-95-95 goals with key populations”
January 31, 2019
10:00AM – 11:30 AM EST-US / 4:00PM – 5:30 PM Amsterdam/Abuja
You Must Pre-register at:
https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/4866955630781687042
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.
Agenda:
10:00-10:05 – Introduction (Clint Trout, Heartland Alliance International)
10:05-10:15 – HAI’s Annotated Bibliography on Syndemics of HIV, STI, TB, Hepatitis, Mental Health and Psychosocial Issues and Substance Abuse, The Evidence Base for Comprehensive Services for Key Populations: Addressing Stigma, Violence and Mental Health (Clint Trout, HAI)
10:15-10:30 – Two meta-analyses and an intervention study the effects of mental health interventions with persons living with HIV (Pascalle Spaan, Erasmus Medical Center, and Sanne van Luenen, Leiden University and Leiden University Medical Center)
10:30-10:40 – Mental Health Services for Key Populations who have been victims of violence in Dominican Republic (Robyn Dayton, FHI360-LINKAGES)
10:40-10:50 – Trauma-informed mental health and psychosocial services with key populations in Nigeria (Nanribet Gabriel Mwoltu, HAI-Nigeria)
10:50-11:00 – Integrating Mental Health Services with people living with HIV in Zimbabwe (Melissa Sharer John Snow, Inc)
More information about the presenters and their presentations:
HAI’s Annotated Bibliography on Syndemics of HIV, STI, TB, Hepatitis, Mental Health and Psychosocial Issues and Substance Abuse, “The Evidence Base for Comprehensive Services for Key Populations: Addressing Stigma, Violence and Mental Health” (Clint Trout)
Clint Trout is the Senior Technical Advisor for HIV/AIDS for Heartland Alliance International has been working with key populations as an advocate, academic and program manager since 1998 when he became HIV tester-counselor for the AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) in Los Angeles. He has worked in over 30 countries in Africa, Latin America and Europe including residence in Argentina, Cameroon, Colombia, France, Germany, Haiti, Mali and Mexico. Clint holds Masters degrees in Education (Chapman University) and Public Health (Harvard) and a Doctor of Public Health from Boston University. He is fluent in his native English, French and Spanish and proficient in Portuguese.
We did a search of the literature to summarize the evidence base for comprehensive services addressing key populations’ varying needs. We divided the studies and reviews by geography into HAI focus countries, systematic reviews, West and Central Africa, Northern, Southern and Eastern Africa, other low and middle-income contexts, and high-income contexts
We located studies related to eight themes: 1. Syndemics (19 studies inc. 3 systematic reviews/meta-analyses); 2. High prevalence of trauma, mental health issues and substance abuse among key populations (64/8); 3. Trauma and how it increases HIV transmission risk (35/5); 4. Associations of trauma with mental health/psychosocial problems (34/5); 5. How trauma and its effects are important barriers to access to HIV services, adherence and viral load suppression (43/13); 6. Associations of mental health and cognitive problems with HIV infection itself (17/3); 7. Needs of female key populations for reproductive health and rights services (12/1); and 8. Results of programming models to address these issue, including improved adherence to ART and viral load (38/12).
Full Report is Here: https://www.heartlandalliance.org/international/hai-bibliography-on-syndemics
Two meta-analyses and an intervention study the effects of mental health interventions with persons living with HIV (Pascalle Spaan and Sanne van Luenen)
Pascalle Spaan is a psychologist and works as a PhD-student at the Erasmus Medical Centre in Rotterdam. As a PhD-student she is studying how stress and hormones are related to aggression and criminality. However, during her Research Master thesis she studied the effect of psychosocial interventions on people living with HIV, especially on the outcome of antiretroviral treatment adherence.
Sanne van Luenen is a nurse and psychologist. She works as a postdoctoral researcher at Leiden University and Leiden University Medical Center. She conducts several eHealth studies. In her PhD research she investigated the effectiveness of a guided online intervention for people living with HIV and depressive symptoms. The intervention is being implemented at the moment.
We conducted a meta-analysis to investigate the effectiveness of psychosocial interventions for people with HIV to improve treatment adherence for antiretroviral medication. It was found that psychosocial interventions for PLWH had a small to moderate positive effect on medication adherence.
We conducted a meta-analysis to investigate the effectiveness of psychosocial interventions for people with HIV to improve depressive symptoms, anxiety symptoms, psychological well-being and quality of life. It was found that psychosocial interventions for PLWH had a small positive effect on mental health.
In addition, the effectiveness of a guided online intervention for people with HIV and depressive symptoms was studied. We found that the intervention might be effective for the treatment of depressive symptoms.
Mental Health Services for Key Populations who have been victims of violence in Dominican Republic (Robyn Dayton)
Robyn Dayton, MPH, is a Technical Advisor with FHI 360; she currently serves as the Gender Advisor for the LINKAGES Project, a USAID/PEFAR-funded project working in 30 countries. Robyn has more than fourteen years of experience in public health programming and is passionate about the intersection of social justice, community engagement, and public health.
The Center for Promotion and Human Solidarity (CEPROSH), with support from and in collaboration with the PEPFAR- and USAID-funded LINKAGES project, implemented a KP program in the Dominican Republic that included immediate and longer-term mental health services for victims of violence. Programmatic assessment suggests that the inclusion of these services benefits service user well-being, including HIV-related outcomes, and encourages more KP members to seek HIV services. In this presentation, we will share results from a programmatic evaluation including reflections from psychologists, health care workers, peer educators, and service users.
Trauma-informed mental health and psychosocial services with key populations in Nigeria (Nanribet Gabriel Mwoltu)
Nanribet Gabriel Mwoltu is a practicing psychologist who is licensed (Fm000125) with the Nigerian Association of Clinical Psychologist (NACP). With 6+ years’ clinical experience, Nanribet is currently one of two Clinical Psychologist pioneering the integration of Trauma-Informed (TI) Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) services for Key Populations who are living with HIV/AIDs in seven (7) Nigerian states under HAI-USAID funded Integrated MARPS HIV Prevention Program (IMHIPP)
Heartland Alliance International uses the Trauma-Informed model of mental health and psychosocial services in its programs around the world. In Nigeria, the program has generated good data using the model with key populations who have been victims of gender-based violence as well key populations who have failed antiretroviral therapy and thus have unsuppressed viral load.
Integrating Mental Health Services with people living with HIV in Zimbabwe (Melissa Sharer
Melissa Sharer has spent the last 24 years working in global health since her start in Peace Corps Armenia in 1994. Research and practice areas include HIV, mental health, social support, adolescents and vulnerable children. She currently works at St Ambrose University, in Davenport, Iowa as an assistant professor and director of an MPH program. Additionally, she works at John Snow Research and Training Institute as a Senior Technical Advisor, focused on HIV, mental health, and youth
The presentation will describe the key concepts related to integrating MH into HIV services using stepped care design (1) screen; (2) brief intervention; (3) guided referral. This differentiated care model contributed to reduced stigma around mental health among providers, as well as increases in MH referrals for PLHIV. Next steps are adapting this model for pregnant and post-partum adolescent and young girls living with HIV to improve retention and adherence in Zimbabwe.