Attitudes toward people with mental disorders in Bulgaria.

Public attitudes toward people with mental disorders determine their life chances and potential integration in society. In this article, we present results from a large representative study that aims to understand whether and how Bulgarian society stigmatizes people with mental disorder, and how demographic characteristics relate to certain types of attitudes. The CAMI III instrument was the basis for the specific research design.

Progress Update: Development of Palliative Care From 2017 to 2020 in Five Countries in Eurasia.

Context: In the early 2000s, palliative care was largely unknown in the Eurasian region. For a period of twenty years starting around 2002, Open Society Foundations (OSF) supported palliative care pioneers in the region to establish palliative care services, train health providers, and advocate for the integration into health services.

Objectives: To report on the development of palliative care in Armenia, Georgia, Moldova, Tajikistan and Ukraine during the period 2017-2021 and explore the impact of OSF's sustained funding for palliative care in these countries.

Treatment and care for injecting drug users with HIV infection: a review of barriers and ways forward.

We review evidence for effectiveness, cost-effectiveness, and coverage of antiretroviral therapy (ART) for injecting drug users (IDUs) infected with HIV, with particular attention to low-income and middle-income countries. In these countries, nearly half (47%) of all IDUs infected with HIV are in five nations--China, Vietnam, Russia, Ukraine, and Malaysia. In all five countries, IDU access to ART is disproportionately low, and systemic and structural obstacles restrict treatment access.

Women, harm reduction and HIV.

Gender shapes the experience of drug use and its associated risks. In most parts of the world, however, harm reduction and drug treatment programmes that tailor their services to meet women's needs are rare or nonexistent. Many existing services inadvertently exclude women, and discriminatory policies and social stigma drive women drug users from care and expose them to human rights abuses.

From PMTCT to a more comprehensive AIDS response for women: a much-needed shift.

Half of the 33.2 million people living with HIV today are women. Yet, responses to the epidemic are not adequately meeting the needs of women.

Buprenorphine-naloxone Treatment for Pre-release Opioid-dependent Inmates in Puerto Rico.

The following study, conducted in Puerto Rico, examined the feasibility of providing daily buprenorphine-naloxone (bup-nx) in prison and on release to 45 male inmates with histories of heroin addiction. Participants were assessed at study entry and at 1 month after release (N = 42; 93.3% follow-up rate).

Paradoxes in antiretroviral treatment for injecting drug users: access, adherence and structural barriers in Asia and the former Soviet Union.

Offered proper support, injection drug users (IDUs) can achieve the same levels of adherence to and clinical benefit from antiretroviral treatment (ARV) as other patients with HIV. Nonetheless, in countries of Asia and the former Soviet Union where IDUs represent the largest share of HIV cases, IDUs have been disproportionately less likely to receive ARV. While analysis of adherence amongst IDUs has focused on individual patient ability to adhere to medical regimens, HIV treatment systems themselves are in need of examination.

Finding the resources for summer learning programs.

Research on summer learning losses has unambiguous implications for America: all children need learning opportunities in the summer. But how and when policymakers, educators, and youth service providers will fashion appropriate programming are far less clear. At the root of this problem is the need to vastly increase, stabilize, and coordinate resources for summer programming.

Integrating palliative care into national policies.

Good policies lay the groundwork for an effective health care system and society. They facilitate the implementation of palliative care programs aimed at providing care for all people in need of these services, and they ensure equitable access to affordable medications and therapies. The lack of good policies can lead to unnecessary suffering and costs for patients, families, and society.

Funding for palliative care programs in developing countries.

There are many palliative care developments in resource-poor regions of the world. Most of them are supported by third-party donors and grant makers. The funding necessary to cover essential palliative care services usually exceeds the financial means of many developing countries.

Civil society-a leader in HIV prevention and tobacco control.

Many civil society organisations (CSOs) have been at the forefront of identifying new ideas and implementing innovative models regarding health and health systems around the world. Their activities become highly charged, however, when they engage in advocacy efforts designed to influence change in policies and systems linked with more controversial or complicated public health issues. Policies, laws and regulations regarding illicit drugs and tobacco fall directly into that category.

Public health capacity building in southeastern Europe: a partnership between the Open Society Institute and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The political disintegration of former Yugoslavia inaugurated in 1991 resulted in the decentralization of health systems in the federation's successor nation-states. Efforts by the Open Society Institute improved public health planning and management needs consequent to health sector changes. Beginning in Croatia in 2001, the Institute developed ongoing collaborations between Andrija Stampar School of Public Health and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Legal and ethical issues in microbicides research and development in Canada.

The Canadian AIDS Society (CAS) recently completed a report entitled Microbicides Development and Delivery in Canada: Legal, Ethical and Human Rights Issues. The report builds on Canadian and international experience and was written in consultation with Canadian community and international experts. It is available on the CAS website (www.