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Reach Out
Integrated community healthcare and out-reach services for hard-to-reach populations
Project Background
General Factors
- Lack of access to systematic prevention initiatives;
- Contractions connected to the right to health, in particular access to care;
- Limited presence of culturally sensitive healthcare provision;
- Direct and indirect costs.
Context Specific Factors
- Italy, Malta and Greece are the gateways to Europe’s Southern border. Migrants, asylum-seekers and refugees reaching their borders originate from countries with high TB, hepatitis B and C, HIV and STIs incidence.
- Strong presence of informal workers and undocumented migrants. This condition of irregularity has a strong impact on access to the healthcare system
- Malta is the highest HIV incidence country in Europe
- Limited presence of dedicated SGBV services and of organized testing and health monitoring activities
- Limited awareness about sexually transmitted infections (STIs) including HIV, hepatitis B and C
- Difficulty navigating health systems in destination countries
- Stigma connected to homesexuality, sex worker and in general regarding STIs testing
- One third of reported HIV cases contracted through sexual contact in Europe are migrants from countries with generalized HIV epidemics, mainly sub-Saharan Africa.
- Contributing factors to STIs/HIV infection are social inequalities associated with migration, human trafficking, HIV‐related stigma and discrimination, and changes in sexual behavior after migration
- Low level of enrollment with the Regional Health System (RHS)
- General lack of knowledge of how the health system works
- Particoluarly vulnerable categoris such as migrant women or sexual minorities due to the prevalence of gender biases and norms that inhibit access to information
- Number and proportion of TB cases detected among immigrant
- Health is tightly connected with easy access to services, decent housing and regular employment
- Migrant men who have sex with men (MSM), transgender people and sex workers may be at particular risk of HIV acquisition and transmission post-migration.
Short term impact
Improved infections detection
Increased community awareness and access to services
Improved social inclusion
Long term impact
Improved diagnosis and better prevention/treatment
Improved strategies and cooperation
What is Reach Out?
FOCUS: improve global health outcomes for migrants and local disadvantaged local population groups through prevention, early detection and access to care for TB, HIV, STIS, Hepatitis B and C.
PARTNERS: Intersos, Digivis, Praksis, PIN, Ministry for Health – Government of Malta, European Health and digital Executive Agency.
GEOGRAPHIC COVERAGE: Greece, Malta, Italy.
PROJECT DURATION: 36 months.