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ABSTRACT Sexual assault is the subject of increased debate, concern, and action across Africa. In high HIV prevalence countries, the health, legal, and psychosocial concerns routinely faced by survivors are compounded by the risk of contracting HIV. Public-sector health facilities in these countries are faced with the dual challenge of developing or expanding institutional responses to sexual assault, while at the same time integrating such services with HIV programs. In Zambia’s Copperbelt Province, an operations research study is underway to examine the feasibility of integrating such services by providing both postexposure prophylaxis for HIV (PEP) and emergency contraception (EC) as a basic package of care to survivors. Because the two drugs must be administered within 72 hours of the assault, they are well positioned for integrated delivery. Functionally, however, problems abound. Whereas EC is managed as a family planning commodity, PEP falls under that rubric of HIV/AIDS programs. The impact of this disjuncture is most clearly seen in district hospitals, where both drugs are available but cannot be accessed from a single location. For survivors of sexual assault, who often are reluctant to access services at all, the prospect of shuttling from ward to ward can serve as an important deterrent to seeking or continuing with needed care. This presentation reviews the initial experiences of the Copperbelt program in overcoming the challenges associated with integrated service delivery, providing a current case study on the realities of linking the two sectors at the facility level.
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