Project Encuentro is a collaboration between University of Texas at El Paso and the Alliance of Border Collaboratives, with Programa Companeros as a key implementation partner.
Encuentro is predominantly a study funded by NIH formally entitled: “Adaptation and Implementation of Project Encuentro in the U.S.-Mexico Border”, to increase access to rapid HIV testing, a peer network behavioral intervention to reduce sexual and drug use risk, and community-wide events targeting structural factors affecting HIV risk.
The study targets active drug users traversing the cities of Ciudad Juarez and El Paso, a metropolitan area of over 2,200,000 people, making it one of the largest international border communities. Encuentro is a strong partnership of university researchers and community based organizations with the ultimate goal of strengthening community resources to address HIV and drug use in the region.
Encuentro has concluded the formative research that included 40 in-depth interviews and a social network survey of 200 (100 per city) drug users.
We are still do conduct focus groups. We will be using the findings will inform the adaptation of the intervention, guide recruitment and intervention efforts to networks and areas in the region most in need, and feasibility and acceptability. The adaptation should begin this year. Next year will then test intervention effectiveness by tracking HIV testing rates and reductions in HIV risk using a repeated time series design consisting of six cross-sectional surveys (N=600). Finally, we will conduct naturalistic observations of intervention implementation and key informant interviews as well as fidelity checklists and process evaluation of project activities.
There is also a structural component to the project that may be of particular interest since this is the component that intersects with the interest you expressed. These were the structural conditions going into the project: