Title: Syphilis Elimination Plan Working Group SEPWOG Community Addressing Syphilis in Baltimore
1Syphilis Elimination Plan Working Group
(SEPWOG)Community Addressing Syphilis in
Baltimore
- Sheridan Johnson
- Syphilis Elimination Project Coordinator
2Syphilis Elimination Plan Working Group
(SEPWOG) Mission
- To identify barriers to implementing a Syphilis
Rapid Response Plan - To develop strategies to overcome barriers to
implementation - Publicize findings through a summary document
- Come together intermittently to address community
participation in syphilis elimination
3SEPWOG Importance
- For first time, community has a voice in
directing syphilis prevention activities - Generates understanding and collaboration around
problem of syphilis in Baltimore
4Types of Organizations in SEPWOG
- Community residents
- Community-based organizations
- Community health care facilities
- Faith Community
- Academic institutions
- State Health Department
- City Health Department
- Other City Agencies
5SEPWOG Meetings
- A series of 6 meetings
- March June 2000
- Small group brainstorming sessions
6SEPWOG Results Barriers to Rapid Response Plan
- Lack of leadership in STD prevention
- Lack of community trust in health institutions
- No one acceptable definition of community
- Stigma associated with STDs
- Lack of readily available high-quality
reproductive services - Lack of explanatory data
- Inadequacy of traditional partner notification
7Barrier Lack of Leadership for STD Prevention
Activities
- Few Baltimore community programs directed at
primary prevention of STDs - Why?
- Perception that promoting safe sex means
promoting increased sexual activity - Competing public health priorities
- Little awareness of problem and solutions
8Lack of Leadership for STD Prevention Activities
Strategies
- Maintain SEPWOG activities
- Issue Requests for Proposals (RFPs) that focus on
community groups working with high-risk
populations - Develop a network of grass-roots organizations
for primary STD prevention
9Barrier Lack of Community Trust in Health
Institutions
- Private/Public Health Institutions do not have
trust of communities they serve
10Lack of Community Trust in Health Institutions
Strategies
- Institutions must show respect for privacy,
provide high-quality care - Community-specific Rapid Response with community
leaders/organizations - Emphasize community partnership before Rapid
Response Team enters community
11Barrier Stigma Associated with STDs
- Stigma causes shame/embarrassment
- Nobody wants to talk about STDs
- Information about prevention and care options do
not get out into communities
12Stigma Associated with STDsStrategies
- Initiate awareness programs through media
- Use different forums
- Schools
- Department of Corrections
- Drug Treatment Programs
- Show true faces of affected community
13Summary of Recommendations
- Develop network of community groups focused on
syphilis prevention - Establish relations with communities, accept
their partnership and leadership - Increase access to syphilis testing and treatment
and quality of services - Augment existing data collection to include more
behavioral and social data
14Results of SEPWOG
- Raised awareness of syphilis problem in community
- Formed strong partnerships between Health
Department and community - Formed strong partnerships between members of
SEPWOG - Began the process of building syphilis prevention
leadership in Baltimore community
15Rapid Response Plan
- This document was generated using the ideas and
input of SEPWOG meetings - All subsequent rapid response team efforts have
followed the plan - Community has provided input during entire
process-development to implementation
16Community Participation Integral to Rapid
Response in Baltimore
- Most recommendations have been or are currently
being implemented - SEPWOG served as model for subsequent community
participationSouth Baltimore and Penn-North - Generated sense of ownership, momentum in
community