FY 2021 ending the HIV epidemic - primary care HIV prevention - inner-city muslim action network - H80CS33649 the inner-city muslim action network (iman) fosters health, wellness, and healing in the…

FY 2021 ending the HIV epidemic - primary care HIV prevention - inner-city muslim action network - H80CS33649 the inner-city muslim action network (iman) fosters health, wellness, and healing in the inner-city by organizing for social change, cultivating the arts, and operating a holistic health center. Formed in 1997 in direct response to the social inequities and health disparities on chicago's south side, iman has since joined the health center program by winning a new access point in 2019 (grant number H80CS33649). Today, iman provides integrated primary and behavioral health care six days per week to more than 2,100 low-income patients annually, most of whom identify as people of color. Iman serves 21 cook county, illinois ZIP codes in the city of chicago and its southwest suburbs, many of which are among the hardest HIT by the HIV epidemic. For example, 60632 has the highest rate of late HIV diagnoses, with 35% of new diagnoses being considered late - double the overall city rate of 18.8%. Several ZIP codes (60636, 60621, 60649, and 60652) have very low rates of patients being linked to HIV care, with less than 72% of newly diagnosed individuals connected to care within 30 days. Several other service area ZIP codes (60608, 60609, and 60632) have the city's lowest rates (43%-58%) of people living with HIV who are receiving any HIV care at all. Nearly the entire service area is below the city of chicago average for percent of people living with HIV who are virally suppressed, and viral suppression rates are especially low among black residents and youth aged 13-24. Iman's proposed FY22 primary care HIV prevention (pchp) project will focus on increasing the number of patients from these hard-HIT communities who are counseled and tested for HIV, prescribed prep, and linked to HIV care within 30 days of diagnosis. Currently, iman tests only approximately 300 (27%) of its 15-65 year old patients for HIV, and with a lack of new HIV diagnoses, no patients (0%) have been linked to HIV care. These numbers are e xtremely low relative to the significant community need. Thus, by the end of FY23, iman expects to more than double the number of patients test annually to 800 (40%), with 80% of those diagnosed linked to HIV care within 30 days. To accomplish this, iman will conduct outreach to community members at increased risk of HIV, including youth, lgbtq people of color, individuals with substance use disorders, and formerly incarcerated individuals. Iman will hire a full-time community health worker (CHW) to provide outreach and education at schools and community sites. The purchase of a rapid HIV testing machine will enable the CHW and a primary care team to offer POP-up HIV education, counseling, and testing on iman's mobile unit in the community. To increase its capacity to provide counseling, testing, prep prescription, and linkage to care in the primary care setting, iman will allocate two new physicians part-time to HIV prevention services for those at greatest risk. Furthermore, all existing primary care providers will go through a robust training around HIV diagnosis, treatment, and prevention. Finally, iman will further increase its prep prescription and linkage to care capacity by hiring a nurse navigator who will follow up with patients, manage prescriptions, and support patients and their partners in navigating services. A referral coordinator will help connect patients and their partners to HIV care, social services, addiction services, and more, as well as to build collaborations with new partners to increase iman's referral capabilities. Iman's cultural and linguistic competencies, its deep community ties, and its existing expertise with at-risk populations like youth and formerly incarcerated individuals position iman perfectly to provide increased HIV prevention services within its service area. Funding from the FY22 pchp program will enable iman to invest in the staff, infrastructure, and activities that will help