UIC COMMUNITY OUTREACH INTERVENTION PROJECT (COIP)
The UIC Community Outreach Intervention Project (COIP), formerly know as the AIDS
Outreach Intervention Project, at the University of Illinois School of Public Health has been
providing community-level AIDS prevention education to injecting drug users IDUs and their
sexual and drug-using partners in Chicago since 1986. During 1992, COIP outreach workers
made over 95,000 contacts with approximately 26,000 individuals.
This project targets IDUs not in drug treatment, a group that represents the large majority
(estimated to be 90%) of IDUs. This population is at high risk for infection with HIV and is likely
to sexually transmit the AIDS virus to the non-injecting population. Experience to date suggests
that at any given time, most active IDUs are not willing or able to enter drug treatment facilities.
Through street outreach, the COIP has the ability to access the larger population of the IDUs who
cannot be reached through institutionally-based HIV prevention programs.
The goal of COIP is to promote a range in HIV risk-reduction alternatives to IDUs over the
short-term (to supplement limited treatment capacity), while working toward the long-term
objective of fostering a drug-free lifestyle among individuals in these high risk populations.
Street outreach is conducted by trained field staff who are themselves members of the population
targeted for intervention. As former addicts, these outreach workers have a distinct
understanding of the language, street culture, and beliefs of the target groups, and are therefore
trusted by active IDUs. The COIP has been extremely successful at reducing high risk behaviors
because of the respect and trust IDUs have for COIP outreach workers.
The project's outreach workers distribute educational literature and prevention materials, and
provide referral to a host of services including drug treatment facilities, HIV testing and
counseling programs, medical services, and numerous social service agencies.