A Syndemic Approach: Syphilis Prevention | August 20th, 2024
Date of Presentation: August 20, 2024
Type: Past Presentation
Audience: Clinical
Program: Syphilis ECHO
Keywords: #harm reduction #holistic #prevention #syndemic #syphilis #treatment
In this series of presentations, Jessica Leston, MPH, and Jessica Rienstra, PMHNP, highlight a syndemic approach for syphilis prevention and control. They provide an overview of syphilis prevention strategies, including education, risk reduction, screening, treatment strategies, and partner notification/contract tracing, strategies for using a harm reduction approach to prevent and treat syphilis and congenital syphilis, as well as discuss public health interventions, surveillance, and community engagement for addressing the resurgence of syphilis. Lastly, Whitney Dickson, PharmD, shares the story of Cass Lake Indian Health Service choosing to start a harm reduction program, how they understood the need for local harm reduction services, the steps they took to initiate harm reduction services, and the benefits the community has seen since initiation.
Recording:
Presented by:
Jessica Leston
Owner/Partner | Raven Collective
Jessica Leston, MPH, has worked on a broad range of public health-related activities, where she has strived to create collaborative learning environments that bridge public health, policy, and clinical gaps to improve health and wellness in Indian Country. She has cultivated and maintained trusting relationships with Tribes, States, National Organizations, and Federal partners to ensure collaborative work to improve health and wellness for Indigenous people. Jessica has been part of amazing teams that have developed initiatives for various innovative health programs such as WERNATIVE, Indian Country ECHO, Paths (Re)Membered, and Native Health Resources.
Jessica believes strongly in learning from traditional indigenous ways of knowing to help guide, direct, and strengthen our public health systems. Her mother’s side of her family are settlers to Turtle Island, originally from Germany, Sweden, and Ireland. Her Father’s side of the family is originally from Austria, Finland, and Tsimshian from British Columbia/Southeast Alaska. She grew up in Chicago but spent many summers in Southeast Alaska with her Grandmother’s family – climbing Deer Mountain, picking huckleberries around Ward Lake and watching the salmon make their way to the Ketchikan Creek Falls. In her life and work, she honors the Alutiiq cultural value, “we are responsible for each other and ourselves.”
Whitney Dickson, PharmD, BCPS
Clinical Pharmacist | Cass Lake IHS
Whitney Dickson, PharmD, BCPS, is a clinical pharmacist at Cass Lake Indian Health Service.
Jessica Rienstra
Faculty
Jessica Rienstra is a Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner at the Northwest Portland Area Indian Health Board working as an ECHO Case Manager. Prior to joining the ECHO team, she worked as a nurse in geriatric and memory care in Washington and in pediatric health in East Africa. Jessica also worked for over 5 years at a Tribal Health Center in Washington State as a nurse, grant manager, and project director where she helped develop and implement harm reduction, syringe service, and HCV elimination programs. Jessica is passionate about ensuring accessible, destigmatized, and intentional health care for all.
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Date added: July 29, 2024
