Two delegations from Latvia and Lithuania visited Prague (25-27 April), as part of the European “Joint Action on HIV and Co-Infection Prevention and Harm Reduction” (HA-REACT). Latvian and Lithuanian professionals from a variety of social health fields visited different harm reduction organisations offering interventions intended to prevent the harmful effects of drug use. They shared experiences with shelter staff, low threshold centres, day care centres, opioid substitution treatment centres, and mobile units, among others.
This was the third study visit. The two previous visits were conducted in Madrid and Barcelona, respectively. The objective of these study visits is to show how harm reduction programs are carried out in different contexts and to combat injecting drug-use related HIV. A secondary aim was to also consider initiating similar programmes in Latvia and Lithuania.
The activity was organized by National Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Addiction (Urad Vlady Ceske Republiky)- Czech Republic.