Drug and Alcohol Use Among Boston's Haitian Community: A Hidden Problem Unveiled by CCHER's Enhanced Innovative Case Management Program

• NCJ Number: 187891
• Journal: Drugs and Society Volume: 16 Issue: 1/2 Dated: 2000 Pages: 107-122
• Author(s): Eustache Jean-Louis M.D.; Janine Walker M.P.H; Guy Apollon M.D.; Joel Piton M.D.; M. Berthonia Antoine; Alfred Mombeleur; Marc Thelismond; Nicole Cesar
• Editor(s): G. J. Huba Ph.D.
• Date Published: 2000
• Length: 16 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Program/Project Description
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This paper describes how the Special Projects of National Significance (SPNS) funded psychosocial educational counseling model for Haitians has been a catalyst in enabling the Center for Community Health, Education, and Research, Inc. (CCHER) to identify substance abuse and addiction within the community; how CCHER has begun the early stages of identifying, understanding, and clearly defining the needs of the Haitian community in relation to substance abuse and addiction; and how, as a result, CCHER has begun implementing culturally competent services targeted at Haitian substance abusers and their families.

Abstract

The Center for Community Health, Education, and Research, Inc. (CCHER) is a community-based organization operated by Haitian professionals and located in the heart of Boston’s Haitian community providing health and social services to the local Haitian community and Haitians living with HIV since 1987. CCHER provides a psychosocial educational counseling program (PEC) to Haitians living with HIV. This model of intervention has allowed for the identification of important issues, such as substance abuse and addiction. It also has allowed for the planning of culturally appropriated educational, outreach, and counseling strategies for Haitian substance abusers. PEC was created to address the psychosocial needs of Haitian HIV consumers. Counseling sessions are one-to-one in Haitian Creole. A pre-post evaluation design assesses the effectiveness of the curriculum in relation to the objectives of the project. Preliminary evidence suggests that if these interventions are to be effective, CCHER must develop these interventions from a community level approach. Interventions must be directed simultaneously towards consumer-centered service delivery and community action. These targeted approaches were found to be effective in addressing the HIV epidemic in the Boston Haitian community. The primary goal of substance abuse programming is to prevent drug use and reduce the level of addiction among Haitians. Tables and references