Identifying BBV/STI amongst young people with mental health problems

Individuals with mental health problems are at high risk for blood borne viruses (BBV) and sexually transmitted infections (STI). Despite this, there is no coordinated strategy to reduce BBV/STI risk amongst psychiatric populations and, more importantly, there is no data available on the prevalence of infectious disease and risk factors amongst younger populations with mental health problems. This pilot project, funded by the Nurses Board of Victoria, aims to address deficiencies in current service provision and knowledge by delivering an innovative intervention for young people, incorporating screening for BBVs/STIs, immunisation and targeted BBV/STI risk reduction information. This project is in collaboration with DASWest Youth Outreach Team. Recruitment for the study has now been completed, and data analysis is underway.