New program aims to cut HIV risk by fighting stigma for drug users

Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.

Inclusion Criteria: * Eligible PWID will meet the following inclusion criteria: 1. reports injecting drugs or using drugs with someone who was injecting in the past 12 months before enrollment, 2. is currently using illicit drugs (salts, synthetics, pharmaceuticals or opioids) including poly drug use, 3. ≥ 18 years old, 4. live in one of the two eligible districts 5. report no intentions to move from Bishkek in the next 18 months, 6. baseline rapid HIV test confirming HIV-negative status, and 7. agree to participate in all intervention and assessment activities. Eligible MMT Staff participants inclusion criteria: All clinical, administrative, and support staff at our two clinical MMT sites and implementation sites are eligible to participate. Inclusion criteria are: 1. ≥ 18 years old, 2. work in one of the eligible clinics, and 3. agree to participate in all intervention and assessment activities. Exclusion Criteria: * PWID Exclusion criteria are: 1. initiated injection drug use in the past 6 months, 2. report not currently using illicit drugs, 3. are \< 18 years old, 4. live outside the two eligible districts, 5. intend to move outside Bishkek in the next 18 months, 6. do not agree to participate in all community-level intervention activities (i.e., five peer-led group sessions, four survey assessments over 18 months), or are confirmed to be living with HIV by self-report or baseline rapid test. Note, to protect against unintended HIV status disclosure, PWID who are living with HIV (PWID-HIV) and who meet all other inclusion criteria will be given the option to participate in all study activities. However, PWID-HIV will not be included in our analytic sample of 68 PWID. Study staff will screen all potentially eligible PWID to confirm eligibility, schedule the baseline assessment, and confirmatory rapid HIV test before randomization, with an interviewer not affiliated with LIFT intervention activities.