Disease Intervention Services and Disease Intervention Specialists (DIS) play an important role in preventing and responding to HIV, STIs, hepatitis, and related health concerns, including those that may intersect with substance use. Disease intervention services support efforts to reduce transmission, increase health education and awareness, strengthen prevention and response efforts, support outbreak response, improve access to services, and promote long-term health outcomes.
We attend community events throughout Oklahoma, Kansas, and Texas to provide health education, opioid prevention information, and prevention resources, including condoms, lubricant, dental dams, HIV self-test kits, and syphilis self-test kits. Through these efforts, we work to empower individuals with the information, tools, and resources needed to make informed decisions about their health and support the health of their communities.
To support Indian Health Service (IHS), Tribal Health Programs, and Urban Indian Organizations (I/T/U), we provide training, technical assistance, and additional support based on the needs of each organization and community. We also collaborate with IHS, state agencies, Tribes, and other partners to strengthen disease intervention and prevention efforts, including building local capacity for point-of-care testing for HIV, syphilis, and hepatitis C and strengthening connections to prevention, treatment, opioid prevention, substance use, and other supportive services.
We developed the Tribal DIS Policy Development Guide to support Tribal Nations and Tribal health programs in developing and strengthening their own disease intervention services. The guide provides a framework for establishing policies and procedures that support Tribal DIS programs while recognizing Tribal sovereignty and the unique needs of each community. Our team can provide technical assistance to help organizations review, adapt, and adopt the guide and its components to support the development or enhancement of their own disease intervention policies, procedures, and infrastructure.
