| Session Title: Assessing Your Agency's Capacity to Serve Injecting Drug Users |
| Demonstration Session 371 to be held in Carmel on Thursday, Nov 3, 1:35 PM to 2:20 PM |
| Sponsored by the Alcohol, Drug Abuse, and Mental Health TIG |
| Presenter(s): |
| Adam Viera, Harm Reduction Coalition, viera@harmreduction.org |
| Abstract: For nearly all of the CDC-identified evidence-based interventions (EBIs) and public health strategies, organizations can avail themselves of a readiness assessment to determine their existing capacity and capacity-building needs. However, these tools often assume a previous relationship with injection drug users (IDU) and neglect to assess the staff and agency capacity around working with injecting drug users and communities impacted by drug use. Harm Reduction Coalition (HRC) will present a conceptual framework for assessing organizational capacity to serve populations of injecting drug users. This conceptual framework establishes four interrelated levels to be assessed (termed assessment domains), which include the individual staff level, the program level, the organizational level and the community engagement level. Within each assessment domain, facilitators will discuss the various instruments and methods available for assessment at that level, as well as the different areas of capacity (termed capacity domains). HRC will present corresponding examples of capacity domains for each assessment domain, along with sample questions. HRC will also close with a discussion regarding resources for assessing and building capacity to serve injecting drug users. |