Outreach Program For At Risk HIV & Substance Abuse

Region-wide outreach, awareness, and navigation approach to reach racial and ethnic minority youth, ages 13-24 at risk for substance use and HIV infection.

Our Alt Route program provides training, education, and prevention interventions focusing on the risks of substance misuse and provides education on HIV/AIDS. It also provides needed linkages to service provision for individuals who test positive for HIV and/or are in need of substance use treatment.

The program offers a navigation approach with a project director, lead navigator, and a cadre of peer specialists (college interns and public ally placements) to reach at-risk youth in our community. The project director and lead navigator have their Community Health Worker certifications.

ALt Route FAQ

Groups

Alt Route offers three groups that focus on skills-building, education, and empowerment for healthy decision-making.

Sport Group (13-18-year-olds): SPORT (Alcohol/Drug) Prevention Plus Wellness (PPW) is a one –
session evidence -based screening and brief intervention that
prevents substance use and promotes physical activity, sports,
healthy eating, sleep and stress control among youth.

Mpowerment Group (18-24 -year-olds): Mobilizes young gay and bisexual men to reduce sexual risk-taking and encourages HIV testing and positive social connections. Mpowerment educates about safer sex and provides condoms.

Think Twice (18-24 -year-olds): Single-session, individual-level intervention that promotes informed decision-making around partner selection and HIV risk reduction among men who have sex with men (MSM). Through the use of a graphic novel to convey messages about the risks of serosorting, development of a visual sexual network diagram depicting potential HIV exposure pathways, and guided discussion around ways to reduce HIV risk, the peer counselor addresses misconceptions about selecting sexual partners and helps participants to shape accurate beliefs and perceptions of risk about serosorting.

For more information about Alt Route’s groups, contact Eduardo O’Neill-Caban Health Prevention Navigator

Cell: 860.336.6251 | Email: eduardo.oneillcaban@perceptionprograms.org

click here for printable
groups flyer

TESTING

PPI’s Risk Reduction Program offers free and confidential HIV & Hep C rapid screenings that take between 25-30 minutes. Screenings can be scheduled in the comfort of your home, in our company van, or in our office. We also provide connections to services for those individuals who test positive for HIV and/or are in need of substance abuse treatment.

For more information about testing, contact Stephen Feathers, Risk Reduction Program Lead, Project Director

Cell: 860.208.0888 | Email: Stephen.Feathers@perceptionprograms.org