About Us

Who is CAHIV?

CAHIV (Croatian Association for HIV and viral hepatitis) is a non-governmental, non-politic, non-profit association founded in 1999 in order to prevent HIV, viral hepatitis and sexually transmitted diseases, protection of sexual and reproductive health and to help those suffering from HIV / AIDS and viral hepatitis, and ensure their appropriate medical and social treatment. CAHIV as a professional health association and patient association is focused on prevention, education and helping people who live with HIV/AIDS or viral hepatitis. CAHIV helps all people who live with HIV or hepatitis to solve their problems in terms of medical, social or legal aid, actively takes part in the field of educating young people and general population on HIV and hepatitis and stigma and discrimination related to it. The users of the association are people with HIV and viral hepatitis, their families, health and other professionals and the general population of citizens.

CAHIV is the principal provider of psychosocial support for HIV/HCV infected individuals and a co-principal body in charge of HIV transmission rates reduction, prevention activities, increase in the voluntary counselling and testing uptake, cooperation with associations engaged in the fight against HIV/HCV infections and coordination of joint activities. Engagement in these activities enables timely provision of counselling services and helps in preventing disease progression. Overall goals are Care for people living with HIV, fight stigma and discrimination and Prevention through encouraging excellence in early detection of blood-borne infections in non-institutional community based healthcare setting approach.

CAHIV Goals and Objectives

Education and prevention of further spread of HIV and viral hepatitis
- Encouraging excellence in early detection of blood-borne infections
- Educational programs for youth and future medical workers
- Educational programs for medical workers and workers in social welfare system
- Educational programs in IDU and MSM communities
- Outreach programs – educating and testing hard-to-reach populations at high risk of infection
- Awareness campaigns
- Educational and anti-discriminatory materials

Psychosocial support for PLHIV
- Counselling support
- Self-support groups
- Hotline and online support
- National initiatives in legislation, discrimination issues, antiretroviral drugs issues, social welfare system, school education and healthcare professionals education

CAHIV Achievements

PREVENTION OF FURTHER SPREAD OF HIV, VIRAL HEPATITIS AND STIs

Educations
- Youth, high schools and universities, future medical workers,
- Healthcare employees and employees in the social welfare system
- General population
Outreach programs – educating and testing hard-to-reach populations at high risk of infection
- Within the prison system
- IDU communities
- MSM, sex workers, migrants
World AIDS Day and World Hepatitis Day National campaigns
Educational and anti-discriminatory material and CAHIV printed bulletin for medical workers and experts
Encouraging excellence in early detection of blood-borne infections
- CheckPoint Zagreb – community based centre for education and voluntary, confidential and free testing for HIV and HCV
- Close collaboration, partnership and synergy between institutional health system and community based approach

CARE FOR PEOPLE WITH HIV AND/OR VIRAL HEPATITIS INFECTION

Counselling and Testing Centre in cooperation with the Ministry of Health’s Reference Centre for Diagnosis and Treatment of HIV Infection
inclusion of antiretroviral drugs in the Croatian Institute for Health Insurance’s reimbursement list
changes of discriminatory provisions in bylaws
“HIV and Legislation” manual
prerequisites for the placement of HIV-infected persons in the social welfare system
Counselling Centre for people living with HIV and Viral Hepatitis at the Clinic for Infectious Diseases
Continuous training courses
provision of free legal advice
self-support groups for PLHIV
sending antiretroviral therapy to people who live outside Zagreb
educational material to help the infected individuals
Emergency hotline, e-mail

Key Populations served

Organisation serves vulnerable and marginalised individuals and cohorts (youth, girls and women, MSM, IDUs, sex workers) and people living with HIV and viral hepatitis.

Organisation also works with experts and influencers collaboration in educational activities for medical workers and workers in social welfare system.

Organisation is working in close partnership and collaboration with University hospital for infectious diseases “Dr. Fran Mihaljevic” in Zagreb, Ministry of health, Croatian Institute for Public Health, City of Zagreb – city office for public health, Faculty of Law, Croatian red cross as well as numerous NGO organisations in Croatia, region and EU.

The organizational structure of the association

Assembly, Management Board, Supervisory Board, President of the Association, vice president of the association, employees and volunteers.

The main strategic directions of the association

CAHIV has become an essential part in the Republic of Croatia with its activities in the areas of prevention of sexually and blood transmitted diseases, educating young people, citizens, and health and workers in the social welfare system, encouraging high standard of health care, excellence in the early detection of infection, use of quality guidelines for counseling, psychosocial support, care and treatment and addressing stigma and discrimination.

There are two basic strategic direction of the association:

Prevention of diseases
Caring for the patients

Prevention entails an impact on reducing the incidence of sexual and blood-borne diseases and protection of sexual, reproductive and mental health – the implementation and development of programs for prevention and education, educational and promotional programs of public health, education of experts and advocacy on blood and sexually transmitted diseases.

Care of patients means implementation and development of programs of psychosocial assistance and interdisciplinary care for people living with HIV, viral hepatitis and other problems related to sexual, reproductive and mental health.

Prevention as the strategic direction of the association will significantly affect the public health sector through successfully integrated models of the association (integration of the local budget in co-financing of non-institutional centre for health and education of young people, education and testing organized by the association), within public institutions and services in the framework of public health interests of the local community for the health of citizens. This complementary upgrade, cooperation and synergy with public institutions and the impact of civil society highlight of the reasons for the existence of associations in general, which are aimed at developing civil society as a whole. Association much better track innovations in the world, new trends and recommendations based on the results, faster acting and have more versatile forms of financing. So CAHIV intends to expand the segments of action on mental health. Also, the organization of “outsourcing” of the health care system in the organization of community ensures direct outreach and screening of people in real need. Also, individual action and expand services of timely detection of blood-borne infections with the aim of starting treatment earlier and prevent further unintentional spread of the disease in the society. This implies a constant presence and strengthening the association in public campaigns, young people education programs, the future health care professionals, and health professionals and workers in the social welfare system.

Caring for patients as the strategic direction of the association in the form of patient organization primarily represents the integration and development of civil society in the public sector (counselling services within the Hospital for infectious diseases and membership in national committees and development of national strategies) as a vital stakeholder in the democratization and the influence of civil society on the health of citizens . Our vision is that the various actions and cooperation with related non-governmental organizations, as well as the public sector, influence the development of health care, interdisciplinary care, and the efficiency and effectiveness of working with customers in need.

These strategic directions include the strengthening of existing cooperations and networking with key stakeholders in the development of prevention, ie. with the relevant civil society organizations in the field of cooperation in the development of joint strategies and approaches to key populations and the impact on civil society as a whole.