We offer an individualized approach by allowing participants to choose their own goals.

Safety Counts is a special program to reduce HIV and hepatitis risks among both non-injecting and injecting drug users who are not in drug treatment; Safety Counts CitiWide targets Hispanic/Latino active IDU adults who are HIV-negative and who are located in the Mott Haven and High Bridge neighborhoods of the South Bronx. Utilizing a combination of group sessions, individual counseling, social events, and HIV/Hepatitis education, testing and referral, Safety Counts offers an individualized approach to setting risk-reduction goals, which assists participants in developing concrete strategies that are realistic and flexible. By allowing participants to choose their own goals, Safety Counts enhances the likelihood of their success. Past participants were about 1.5 times more likely to reduce their drug- and sex-related risk compared with clients in standard interventions; they were also significantly more likely to self-report a reduction in the number of times they inject and more likely to test negative for opiates.

With recent funding approval from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Safety Counts CitiWide will start August 1, 2010 and run for 5 years. We anticipate that at least 700 participants will complete Safety Counts CitiWide, while 3,000 participants will receive rapid HIV testing and referral to confirmatory testing and HIV care and treatment over five years.