Archival Content: 1999-2005

Training > Outreach training organizations

Texas HIV Connection

What is the Texas HIV Connection?

The Texas HIV Connection (also commonly referred to as the "HIV Connection") provides training, information and resources about the relationship between substance abuse and HIV/AIDS. The program is one of several training components within Workers Assistance Program, Inc. and is funded by the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) Substance Abuse Services (until September 2004, known as the Texas Commission on Alcohol and Drug Abuse [TACADA]).

Although training is a primary component of the program, the "connection" in Texas HIV Connection means more than just training. It also means:

• Linking substance abuse professionals with information and resources;
• Making connections with other human service professionals and agencies;
• Connecting people with services; and
• Providing facts about HIV/AIDS to a variety of populations.

The Texas HIV Connection is funded to, primarily, work with organizations and outreach workers in Texas.

What outreach training does Texas HIV Connection offer?

The Texas HIV Connection's primary service is providing trainings relating to HIV/AIDS and other communicable diseases; these trainings are targeted to persons who deal with substance abusers throughout the state of Texas. See the HIV Connection Calendar for a current listing of scheduled HIV Connection trainings.

There are over 20 titles available of which 13 were developed by national contractors through the National Institute on Drug Abuse and the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment. These particular courses are delivered throughout the country and serve as the model for all other courses that the HIV Connection delivers. The HIV Connection has continued to develop trainings to meet the needs of the population and respond to new professional license/certification requirements or treatment guideline updates.

One of the courses offered is AIDS OUTREACH IN THE COMMUNITY. This two-day course is designed for persons conducting street outreach to communities at risk for HIV/AIDS and in particular the injecting drug user. The course covers the challenges the community outreach worker faces and how to plan for community-based education. This includes but is not limited to conduct on the street, listening skills, and personal communication styles. Also included is developing a community map for targeting the population.

What else does Texas HIV Connection do to help outreach workers improve their skills and abilities?

The Texas HIV Connection organizes a number of outreach conferences and workshops.

The major conference is an Annual Outreach Workers Conference – This conference is targeted toward those workers and their administrators who provide street outreach to substance abusers. These are the persons who consistently put their own safety, recovery, and sometimes even their job in jeopardy so that the substance abuser on the street will not become infected with HIV or will receive treatment if they are already infected. This conference is generally held in June for approximately 350 persons from Texas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Arkansas. Topics range from didactic information about diseases such as hepatitis and sexually transmitted diseases to highly participatory workshops on implementing harm reduction models.

Where can I learn more?

Texas HIV Connection
Texas HIV Connection
c/o Workers Assistance Program
4115 Freidrich Lane, #100
Austin, Texas 78744
Phone: 512-343-9595, 800-522-0550
FAX: 512-372-8816

E-Mail: hivconf@hivconnection.org

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