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Health Action Charity Organisation (HACO)

Health Action Charity Organisation (HACO) (www.healthaction.co.uk/) works with African communities in Medway on sexual heath issues. HACO aims to bring about a significant and long-term improvement in the sexual health of people from African and other black and ethnic minority communities in Medway.

More than two decades have now passed since we all heard about HIV and almost 40million people are living with HIV worldwide. The impact and spread of HIV is crossing borders and Medway is no exception. Today, HIV has a massive impact across African populations, despite being entirely preventable.

HACO:

  • presents information and available options to local African people about sexual health and HIV;
  • provides one-to-one support to individuals, accompanying people to testing clinics, hospital and prison visits and going with clients to solicitors and MPs' surgeries to sort out immigration issues;
  • works with African and other black and ethnic minority groups around events associated with World Aids Day, Black History Month and Independence Day;
  • works with statutory health services such as genito-urinary medicine clinics (GUMs), primary care trusts (PCTs) and hospitals.

A great deal more information is needed to improve the way that HIV prevention and education helps Africans in Medway. As well as primary prevention, HACO supports African people living with HIV and carries out secondary HIV prevention among them.

HACO is an Associate Partner of National HIV Prevention Programme (NAHIP). NAHIP is a Department of Health funded project managed by the African HIV Policy Network (AHPN) to carry out HIV prevention work with African people living in England. Since 2006, HACO has been carrying out the following campaigns in Medway:

  • Beyond Condoms Campaign (www.nahip.org.uk/campaigns/index.php?page_id=79)
    This campaign seeks to encourage debates within communities, not only on condom use but also on other safer sex practices that reduce the spread of HIV and promote the building of a safer sex culture.
  • African HIV testing campaign (www.nahip.org.uk/campaigns/index.php?page_id=80)
    The testing campaign was developed to encourage African people to think about the benefits of testing as part of good sexual health and to encourage people to access local testing services.

Other campaigns include the gender campaign, concentrating more on working with African men and working with faith groups.

HACO Health Care

HACO Health Care (HHC) is an arm of Health Action Charity Organisation (HACO).  HACO is a registered charity, registered in England and Wales.  HHC undertakes to provide care to individuals in Medway and Kent who live in their own homes.

For more information download the HACO Healthcare Service (359KB) booklet. 

Health Action Charity Organisation is a registered charity, number 1101235.

 

For more information contact us by telephone: 01634 844044 or by email: info@healthaction.co.uk

Write to: Health Action Charity Organisation (HACO), 1B Northgate, Rochester, Kent ME1 1LS

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