Healthy Communities through Action: Addressing the health needs of Denver's injection drug using community through participatory engagement

Community-based participatory projects (CBPPs) require equitable, collaborative partnerships between community members, community-based organizations and project facilitators. Few CBPPs have successfully captured the dynamics of injection drug user (IDU) community project partnerships. Through Denver, Colorado's IDU Healthy Communities through Action project, IDU community members have provided a deeper understanding of community health needs, flaws in public health systems and policies, and the need for community self-efficacy. Over a six-month period, IDU community members utilized a multi-media approach to identify and address health problems affecting their community. Members shared valuable stories through photography, video, writings and paintings, describing principle community concerns not always anticipated by public health practitioners. These health concerns included promotion of access and disposal of syringes, mental health services, non-discriminatory healthcare, and reducing violence against the homeless. Upon the project's first phase of completion, a participatory evaluation was conducted to evaluate the project's meaningfulness, usability, and sustainability. These visual and narrative materials are being shared with the larger IDU community; public health and human service agencies; and the larger public, thus providing opportunities to discuss interpretation and encourage exploration of equal partnership in CBPPs. This presentation will provide a similar forum while summarizing project results, and describing how advocacy efforts have improved through narrative-driven public health policy and program recommendations. This presentation will also discuss lessons learned in engaging IDU as a community that suffers from substance abuse, extenuating mental health issues, poverty, stigmatization, and psychosocial marginalization.