Ganchero Intervention for Drug Overdose and Infection Risk

Recruiting in Palo Alto (17 mi)

Age: 18+

Sex: Any

Travel: May Be Covered

Time Reimbursement: Varies

Trial Phase: Academic

Waitlist Available

Sponsor: North Jersey AIDS Alliance dba North Jersey Community Research Initiative (NJCRI)

No Placebo Group

Trial Summary

What is the purpose of this trial?The goal of this pilot clinical trial is to learn if an intervention that trains Gancheros (people who provide injection services in exchange for drugs or money) to conduct risk-reduction outreach could help lower risk for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), hepatitis C virus (HCV) and overdose among migrant Puerto Rican people who inject drugs (PWID) in New York City. The main questions it aims to answer are: * Can the Ganchero intervention be carried out successfully and will Gancheros and their clients like it? * Could the Ganchero intervention help Puerto Rican PWID who are clients of Gancheros use sterile syringes and carry naloxone (a medication to reverse opioid overdoses) more often? Gancheros who participate in the trial will be asked to attend a 6-session training on HIV, HCV, and overdose prevention and then to share key prevention messages and supplies (e.g., naloxone, sterile syringes and other injection equipment) with their clients during 4 months of outreach. The intervention will be carried out with Gancheros and their clients in two Bronx neighborhoods, one after the other, so the investigators can see if clients in the neighborhood that received the intervention first have better outcomes than clients in the neighborhood that did not yet receive the intervention.

Eligibility Criteria

This trial is for migrant Puerto Rican people who inject drugs (PWID) and Gancheros in the Bronx, NYC. Eligible participants are those providing or using injection services, speak Spanish or English, and have experience with Ganchero services in Puerto Rico. The study excludes individuals not meeting these specific criteria.

Inclusion Criteria

Client participants:

Ganchero participants:

A migrant PWID from Puerto Rico living in one of 2 pre-selected neighborhoods in the Bronx, NYC

+7 more

Exclusion Criteria

Ganchero participants:

I understand the trial details and can give informed consent.

Client participants:

+2 more

Participant Groups

The trial tests a 'Ganchero intervention' where trained Gancheros provide risk-reduction outreach to their clients. It includes a 6-session training on HIV, HCV, overdose prevention and supplying naloxone and sterile syringes during a 4-month outreach to see if it reduces disease risk and overdose.

2Treatment groups

Experimental Treatment

Group I: Immediate intervention neighborhoodExperimental Treatment1 Intervention

According to the trial's wait-list controlled design, the Ganchero intervention will be implemented sequentially in two geographically and socially distinct Bronx neighborhoods with large migrant Puerto Rican populations. In Cycle I, the intervention will be implemented with Gancheros and their clients in neighborhood A, while participants in neighborhood B receive standard access to harm reduction through a local Syringe Services Program (SSP).

Group II: Delayed intervention neighborhoodExperimental Treatment1 Intervention

In Cycle II, the Ganchero intervention will be implemented with Gancheros and their clients in neighborhood B, while participants in neighborhood A receive standard access to harm reduction through a local Syringe Services Program (SSP).