Progressive o.s.

Registered place: Francouzská 112/400, 101 00 Praha 10

Contactaddress: Janáčkovo nábřeží 43, 150 00 Praha 5

E-mail: progressive@progressive-os.cz

IČO 266 149 36 DIČ CZ-266 149 36

PROGRESSIVE is a non-governmental and non-profit organization founded in 2003. Our main activity is providing services focused on drug addiction. We aim to minimize health and social risks caused by drug addiction, protect public health and provide drug counseling. PROGRESSIVE operates with harm reduction, public health and low-threshold philosophy. PROGRESSIVE mainly operates in Prague, Czech Republic. PROGRESSIVE launched 4 projects in this field in 2008. The oldest project is outreach program called NO BIOHAZARD. STAGE 5 is another program run by PROGRESSIVE. It is a low-threshold contact centre in Prague. The third project NON STOP 24 has been running for 5 months. The purpose of the program was about distribution of harm reduction tools via vending machines. The latest program is FIXPOINT. This project is about installing safety disposal bins for used syringes.

 

 

NO BIOHAZARD, Progressive o.s.

Janáčkovo nábřeží 43

150 00 Praha 5

Phone: (+420) 284 811 328

http://progressive-os.cz/

nobiohazard@progressive-os.cz

 

Bc. Jan Špaček

 

The first outreach social work appeared in 2003. Initially, we used to collect used syringes in chosen Prague localities. Later the services were gradually extended and this program appeared in localities with the main drug users’ appearance. Project NO BIOHAZARD was the only field program running during the weekends. This programme started on the 1^st of May 2004. The programme was certified in December 2005 and has started working with freebase database.

 

 

The outreach workers work with non-alcoholic drug addicted people, who are over 15 years old. However, the workers are ready to inform younger users as well about the special care institutions. Most clients are the syringe users, who experiment with heroin, methamphetamine (speed), subutex (Buprenorphine) and other non-alcoholic drugs. It is not important in which stage of addiction the user currently is or how long and which drug is currently using.

 

 

Every establishment has special level of psychological accessibility for client. It has major influence for deciding whether to use provided services or not. Every establishment has stated conditions (threshold) which are demanded from clients by their entrance. These conditions for actually addicted clients must be set as low as possible to get the first contact, involve the client in these services and in an ideal case to reach the change of harmful life style towards the complete abstinence. This is a reaction on their demands related with their fear of:

            ° The censure from the worker

            ° Being stigmatized for their way of life

            ° The loss of anonymity

            ° The institution

 

The accessibility for potential client can be increased by the convenient locality, acceptable working time and well prepared publicity between clients.

 

The outreach programmes are specified for those clients, who cannot be accepted to high threshold contact centres. The client must meet the specified conditions by visiting the institution in building; instead of it the client can create his own conditions in familiar atmosphere. This improves accessibility of social services. It is very hard or even impossible to find and accost the source of help for the most risking clients at the right place and in the right time. The client has full right to decide to use the service or refuse it.

 

The main idea of low threshold services is to offer a lot and demand a little. Thanks to this approach it is possible to contact clients, who would never be contacted trough the ordinary social work methods.

 

 

This is an approach based on decreasing or minimizing health harm between people who currently use drugs and are not motivated to quit. It is important to decrease the risk of infections transmissible through the i.v. application (HIV, hepatitis B, C, etc.) or infections transmissible due the hazardous sexual contact. It is needed to decrease other physical complications associated with long term drug treatment, drug overdosing, social exclusion and loss of human honour. Some of the well known methods of HR are exchange of used syringe material for sterile, supplying information (health care, detoxication, therapy), consultancy and education (how to dose drug safely, how to use syringe and disinfecting material and other technical information). Moreover, we aim to provide advice regarding safe sex and distribute condoms.

 

 

 

            There is a broad spectrum of hazards connected with the way of dosing drugs, the way of life or sexual behaviour. Harm reduction informs clients about danger of infection, abscess, sexually transmissible disease prevention, how to avoid the wrongful conception or complications related to wrong food habits and bad lifestyle generally.  

 

 

            Reduction of social risks leading to their way of life - loss of job, loss of housing, family breakdown, breaking the law, etc.

 

 

Public health is a way of care to prevent occurrence and diffusion infectious diseases (especially hepatitis, HIV/AIDS and other STDs) among the drug users and the rest of the population.

 

 

The main goal of NO BIOHAZARD program is to seek the hidden population of drug users, to contact them and motivate them to change their behaviour and the lifestyle towards the less hazardous behaviour. That means to minimize the health and social risks connected with the drug using, prevent the clients self-destructive acting and decrease the social danger. One of the goals is to offer the service, which is demanded promptly, without delay according to clients needs in their familiar space.

 

 

-          Monitoring of drug scene in locations, where is NO BIOHAZARD working

-          Contacting clients, who are not in touch with any helping institution

-          Keeping clients in touch and motivating them to contact the other drug help services

-          Contacting the clients from minorities

-          Motivating the clients towards the exchange of used syringe material or to safe liquidation of it

-          Transition of information about the „safer“ drug using

-          Transition of information about safe sex

-          Keeping lower occurrence of HIV/AIDS

-          Keeping lower occurrence of hepatitis B, C

-          Decreasing the number of deaths in connection with the drug overdose

-          Motivating the clients to change the harmful lifestyle (preferably) towards the abstinence 

-          Keeping the most affected areas clean (collecting the used syringes and their safe liquidation).

 

The outreach program operates in Prague, Czech Republic on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday, Sunday.

Address
STAGE 5, PROGRESSIVE o.s.
Mahenova 4
150 00 Prague S
Phone: +420 605 319 926

The Head
Bc. Ilona Šulcová

 

PROGRESSIVE is a non-governmental and non-profit organization founded in 2003. Our main activity is providing services focused on drug addictions. Our general aims are to minimize health and social risks caused by drug addiction, protect public health and provide drug counseling. PROGRESSIVE operates with harm reduction, public health and low-threshold philosophy. PROGRESSIVE mainly operates in Prague, Czech Republic. PROGRESSIVE launched 4 projects in this field in 2008. The oldest project is outreach program called NO BIOHAZARD. STAGE 5 is another program run by PROGRESSIVE. It is a low-threshold contact centre in Prague. The third one, NON STOP 24, has been running for 5 months. The purpose of the program was distribution of harm reducing tools via vending machines. The latest program is FIXPOINT which deals with installing safety disposal bins for used syringes.

 

Established in 2006, STAGE 5 was the third low threshold contact centre based on harm reduction in Prague. The opening hours are from 1 pm to 6 pm, from Wednesday to Sunday. The main objective is preventing the social, psychological and somatic consequences of drug use.

Low threshold contact centres (“drop-in” centres) are the facilities fit for the users that can accept only a low threshold treatment and assistance. This type of centres was developed in the Czech Republic in the 1990s and it has already gained official recognition and formal framework (quality standards). The elementary form of this work is the early intervention, either preventing the drug career development or reducing risks of problem drug usage. The elementary services are: counselling, crisis intervention, exchange programme, education, motivation training. Contact centres are gateways to the system of services, however, a consensus regarding the network of services and effective collaboration is missing.

 

The main goal of the service is to improve the situation of drug users, to prevent occurrence and propagation of infectious diseases in Prague and vicinity. The aim is to prevent deterioration of health and social situation of drug users that drastically curbs their self-assertion. The aim is to establish a balanced and efficient approach to the drug problem in the region.

Opening hours:
At the above address of the drop-in room:
Wednesday to Sunday: 1pm – 6pm

The morning hours are devoted for individual discussions with clients and parents.

The low threshold contact centre is the place of the first contact when help concerning non-alcohol drugs problematic is needed.

 

The service is free of charge.

 

 

 

Final target group(s)

 

STAGE 5 - Low threshold contact centre is provided for non-alcoholic drug users. STAGE 5 is situated in Prague 5 – a Prague district where many drug addicts live or buy drugs.

Progressive o.s. started working with drug users in 2003 within the project “NO BIOHAZARD” – street work program for drug users in Prague.

Need for new contact centre in Prague was manifested by clients of No biohazard and also by the other low threshold contact centres in Prague which were very work loaded. Progressive answered with project “STAGE 5” – low threshold contact centre for non-alcoholic drug users.

The refurbishment finished in 2006.

 

STAGE 5 provides service for people who use non-alcoholic drugs. It does not matter in which period of using the client actually is or how long and which kind of drug is using.  Workers of low threshold contact centre help finding answers when dealing with drug addiction. We can mediate treatment/medication if the client makes commitment to change life style.

Basic principle in low threshold contact centre is “low threshold”. It means that our client has to realize minimal demands if she wants to use our services. Our client must be older than 15 years and come to contact centre during opening hours. Also, the client has to obey the rules which we introduce him during the first visit. The service is free of charge and anonymous if demanded by the client. Policies of our organisation are based on the current research.

Clients get to know their rights during their first stay in STAGE 5. The rights of clients are in a written and comprehensible form in our contact room.