Workshop on integrated approaches to MAT held by Alliance together with its partners

On August 13-15, 2018, Kyiv hosted a workshop “Integrated Approach to Treating MAT Patients” organized by Alliance for Public Health within the project “Improved Quality and Sustainability of Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) in Ukraine” (CDC) in cooperation with the Addiction Transfer Technology Center in Ukraine or ATTC-Ukraine (SAMHSA).

The workshop was attended by doctors, nursing personnel, psychologists, case managers and social workers of MAT sites from the priority regions of the PEPFAR (US President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief) program.

Trainers delivering the workshop were recognized experts in prevention and treatment of addictions from the USA, who provide their expertise and training support to improve the quality of HIV prevention and drug treatment in Ukraine. The group of trainers was headed by Dr. Igor Koutsenok, international expert in prevention and treatment of addictions, Professor of Psychiatry at University of California, San Diego (UCSD), Director of the UCSD Center for Criminality & Addiction Research, Training & Application, Director of ATTC-Ukraine.

At the workshop, the participants had a chance to learn about the international evidence-based approaches to motivational interviewing, the methods of cooperation for multidisciplinary teams and the development of patient management programs. They studied the theoretical concepts presented and were able to review clinical cases with further demonstration interviews. A focus was made on the achievement of Fast Track targets.

Besides, the participants learned about problem-based learning and the ECHO model. At the end of the workshop, the participants and the trainers discussed the most pressing issues of implementing MAT in Ukraine to plan further improvement of the quality of MAT programs.

Currently, Alliance is an official co-implementer on the National Targeted Social Program to Counter HIV/AIDS in 2014-2018 approved with the Law of Ukraine N 1708-VII dated October 20, 2014, under which access to medication-assisted treatment is provided to over 10.5 thousand patients in 190 treatment institutions of various profiles in Ukraine.

Alliance would like to express its gratitude to the partners of ATTC-Ukraine project, Ukrainian and international experts for delivering this workshop as well as its hope for further fruitful cooperation.