Uaii: reducing sexually transmitted infections for american indians/ alaskan natives - united american indian involvement, INC. (uaii) is the largest comprehensive provider of health and human…

Uaii: reducing sexually transmitted infections for american indians/ alaskan natives - united american indian involvement, INC. (uaii) is the largest comprehensive provider of health and human services for native americans in LOS angeles and orange counties. Established in 1974 on the streets of skid row in downtown LA, uaii now counts among its patient base over 3,000 urban southern california american indian/alaska native (AI/an) clients of all ages, who represent over 200 distinct federal- or state-recognized tribes, in our whole-person, case management-based wraparound care. Uaii is an urban indian health organization, a licensed california department of public health clinic, a federally qualified health center look-alike, and a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, with a 48-year history of service to the AI/an community offering an intimate knowledge of community needs, an established legitimacy, and an earned, enduring trust. Our service region is home to one of the largest native populations of any urban center in the nation, with whom uaii utilizes an institutional culture approach based on traditional native american philosophies integrating physical, mental, social-emotional, and spiritual health. Our project will begin at the uaii laaihp clinic, utilizing our public health nurse to identify a core group of targeted existing clients assessed with STI risk factors, such as using or exposed to alcohol or illicit drug use, or comergent mental health diagnoses. Treatment and prevention plans already established will be identified, and then augmented with an STI-specific public health education program. These plans will focus on testing, vaccines, prophylaxis, and follow-up referral as needed to uaii in-house care (such as in substance use treatment, counseling and therapy for stress management or healthy relationships), through our team specialists (i.e. health educator or mental health and substance treatment providers), or outside specialty care, such as perinatology for STI during maternity. Team specialists will provide one- on-one patient care, group education, healthy lifestyle workshops, guest speakers, and cultural events pertaining to STI health and indigenous relationship traditions in the AI/an community, as well as virtual outreach and social media campaign support for this initiative. Case management tailored to high STI-risk cases, and caseload size determination through this program will begin within 90 days of project implementation. As part of the culturally-driven approach within uaii: reducing sexually transmitted infections, our project will also adapt our extensive existing system of traditional medicine practices, based upon patient request.