Outreach to injecting drug users and female sexual partners of drug users on the Lower East Side of New York City

In this specially commissioned BJA series experienced clinicians will be giving their personal and frontline views as to how the practical business of treating people with substance problems is best handled. In 1984, outreach to injecting drug users and their female sexual partners was initiated as pan of HIV behavioral research projects. HIV, health, drug treatment and family planning information and services were provided in addition to recruiting subjects to the research program. Such outreach also poses certain problems—especially potential disruption of neighborhood day‐to‐day life and clashes with police. This paper discusses an outreach program to injecting drug users and their female sexual partners that was initiated in New York City to provide HIV‐related information and services. We examine the successes of the program and problems that were involved in conducting outreach to persons who are typically not accessible through formal institutional channels.