workshop session 5

1.40pm - 2.40pm Exploring a new project design for Mobile Outreach Blood Screening in WA (MOBS WA)

Brent Bell (HepatitisWA), Neil Drew (Australian Indigenous HealthInfoNet) 

Background: Participants will gain a clearer understanding of the barriers and challenges to engaging participants in community health screening campaigns, including factors relating to:

• Workforce capacity

• Community attitudes

• Results management

• Access to treatment

Purpose (Why is it important?):

• Understanding these barriers will support the design of new campaigns and partnerships to increase engagement.

• Current projects and service models will not be enough to reach elimination.

• Introduce new model for creating partnerships, embracing technology, and

• Exploring new technology for non-clinical capillary blood sample collection.

Target audience (e.g. service providers, researchers, policy makers):

• Frontline service providers

• Policy makers

• Regional health and community services

• Aboriginal Medical Services

• Health Promotion

Workshop strategies (What interactive activities will you use?):

• Small groups for facilitated discussions.

• Hands on learning on new non-clinical capillary blood draw device (in groups)

Key learnings (What will participants gain from the workshop? e.g. knowledge, skills, awareness):

• Understanding of current community attitudes towards health campaigns

• Understanding of new opportunities for engaging remote and regional communities

• Introduction to new project design and

• Hands on learning of non-clinical capillary blood draw device

Relevance to symposium theme:

• Workshop unpacks, to better understand, the opportunities embraced by HepatitisWA’s new mobile outreach project, MOBS WA.

• Project gives direct focus on mobile outreach to detect HCV, HBV, HIV, and Syphilis.

• Highlights the need for new partnerships, policies, resourcing, and engaging in new technologies for upscaling sustainable service design to reach elimination of these viruses across metropolitan, regional, and remote communities.