Kharkiv health professionals return from Cincinnati armed with info on combatting substance abuse, HIV/AIDS (05/05/02)

Kharkiv health professionals return from Cincinnati armed with info on combatting substance abuse, HIV/AIDS

by Jan Sherbin

CINCINNATI - Ten Kharkiv health professionals have returned home armed with information from their Cincinnati counterparts, who showed them how Americans approach substance abuse as a public health issue. They covered substance abuse, from prevention to treatment, and recovery services, as well as HIV/AIDS and homelessness.

Problems related to drugs and AIDS have been growing at an alarming rate in Ukraine.

"What we saw here is our dream - what we would like to achieve in Kharkiv," said Yuliya Svezhyntseva of the National University of Internal Affairs. "It amazes me that, with all the services we've seen, there could be one drug addict still unserved."

"I'm glad to see that the well-off United States cares so much for the people at its lowest layers," said Oleksander Shevchenko, of the Kharkiv AIDS Center.

Polina Tymoshenko, who is working on "harm reduction" programs for young people in Kharkiv Oblast, was most impressed by youth centers run by non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and funded by government grants.

The 10 Kharkiv visitors were selected for a three-week Community Connections program funded by the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. The program was organized and implemented by the Cincinnati-Kharkiv Sister City Project with assistance from the Health Foundation of Greater Cincinnati.

The schedule included visits to social service agencies addressing drug addiction, alcoholism, homelessness and AIDS, as well as medical facilities, government agencies and youth centers.

This Community Connections program was the 16th organized and implemented by the Cincinnati-Kharkiv Sister City Project. Community Connections exposes Ukrainians to the way their jobs are done in the framework of democracy and free enterprise. Previous programs have covered such areas as law, business, education, government and NGOs.

Members of the Cincinnati Police spoke to a group from Kharkiv about community policing, youth services and gangs, drug use prevention and busting drug dealers.

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