Regional Council On Alcoholism

Selected For National HIV Study

DANBURY — The Midwestern Connecticut Council on Alcoholism (MCCA) was recently selected as one of 12 sites across the United States to participate in a study funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse. The regional agency’s selection was based on several factors that include excellent personnel, facilities that can accommodate the study, data submissions, interviews, site visitation and a recommendation from the New England Node of the CTN (Clinical Trials Network), located at Yale University and at Advanced Behavioral Health in Middletown.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta has recommended that everyone aged 13 and older be offered HIV testing as part of a general physical examination. This recommendation is due to the fact that there are approximately 1.3 million people living with HIV/AIDS in the United States.

That number indicates a 28 percent increase between the years of 2001 and 2005. HIV affects everybody across all parts of the population.

Research shows that 25 percent of those infected with HIV/AIDS are unaware of their infection, 54 percent of new infections are present in individuals who are unaware they carry this infection, and 56 percent of those infected are untreated. Infected individuals age 50 and older are increasing more rapidly than any other population in the United States.

The primary mode of transmission of HIV in the world is heterosexual sex, in the United States, homosexual sex; in Connecticut it is IV drug use.

As a means to search for new techniques to get the population to accept testing, MCCA was chosen to participate in the current study to evaluate the most effective strategy to ensure that persons in drug and alcohol treatment programs get HIV tested, receive their results and reduce their risk behaviors.

The study is entitled: “HIV Rapid Testing and Counseling in Drug Abuse Treatment Programs in the United States.” The New England Node has two sites participating, one being MCCA and the other in Plainville.

MCCA has a long history of dedication to use of evidence-based practice, that is, treatment approaches that are scientifically based, studied and found to be most effective in treating the issues in question.

MCCA’s expertise gained from this study will contribute knowledge locally and nationally on how best to treat the alcohol and drug abuse issues on a national level. Participation in studies such as this current opportunity allows the staff of MCCA to learn new approaches at the forefront in the battles that people face.

That new knowledge gained will allow MCCA to remain a premier substance abuse facility.

This national study is expected to begin in the fall, according to Joe Sullivan, MCCA’s president. It is being lead by a team from the University of Miami, with researchers from the Yale University School of Medicine overseeing the conduct of the study in Connecticut sites.

Mr Sullivan commented in a release that MCCA is “proud to be partnering with a network of such prestigious organizations to assist the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to meet their goal of HIV testing for all.”