Thematic paper #2 on learnings from the BOOST Centres of Expertise (‘Lighthouses’)
Capacity-building within harm reduction services plays a crucial role in meeting these
challenges and leads to provision of more effective prevention, diagnosis, and care, thus
harm reduction services can better support this often-overlooked population. The BOOST
Project’s "Lighthouses" initiative builds on this approach, establishing centres of expertise to
guide and support other organisations in developing their capacities (referred to as
mini-Lighthouses).
The Lighthouses—Společnost Podané ruce in the Czech Republic, Villa Maraini Foundation
in Italy, the NGO Free Clinic in Belgium, and the A-Clinic Foundation in Finland—serve as
models of good practice in providing communicable disease-related services to people who
use drugs. This thematic paper will share key insights gained from their experiences,
helping to pave the way for strategies that foster a promising environment where people who
use drugs have adequate access to quality healthcare and harm reduction services.
