In this presentation, Dr. Sofia Bartlett discussed various strategies for improving access to prevention, testing, and linkage to care for sexually transmitted and blood-borne infections. She highlighted four case studies: linkage to care without testing; dry blood spot (DBS) collection; peer phlebotomy, and mobile testing and treatment. For each case study, she looked at the problem, solution, and approach used. This was followed up by their strengths, limitations and resources. The key takeaways from the presentation are that there are many ways that peers can be involved in or leading STBBI testing and linkage to care, and that such models have been researched and evaluated and are found to be highly acceptable to clients and health providers, safe and feasible and lead to equal or improved outcomes (compared to standard of care)
Speaker:
Sofia Bartlett PhD (she/her/hers), Scientific Director (Interim), Clinical Prevention Services at the BC Centre for Disease Control and Assistant Professor (Partner), School of Population and Public Health at The University of British Columbia.
Suggested Audience:
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- People with lived and living experience providing peer services
- People providing frontline testing or support services
- People in program development
- People in policy development
- People involved with testing within Regional Health Authorities