FY 2021 ending the HIV epidemic - primary care HIV prevention - for more than 40 years, the scientific and medical communities have been working to understand HIV/aids and to develop diagnostic and…

FY 2021 ending the HIV epidemic - primary care HIV prevention - for more than 40 years, the scientific and medical communities have been working to understand HIV/aids and to develop diagnostic and treatment methods to bring the epidemic under control with the goal of eradicating the illness. Many diagnostic and treatment advances have given new hope to those who are at risk for contracting HIV and to those who are living with the disease, many of whom can live long, productive lives. The CDC's ending the HIV epidemic: a plan for america has identified 48 counties and 7 states, including kentucky, where HIV transmission occurs most frequently. While the entire state of kentucky has a high HIV/aids burden, the diverse service area and homeless population served by aaccc have been particularly hard HIT. Social stigma, lack of prevention education, limited testing and treatment resources, and a reluctance by some in the medical community to acknowledge the issue all contribute to the barriers which prevent a systematic approach to addressing the HIV/aids epidemic. With this pchp funding, aaccc will create programs and services to increase awareness and reduce the stigma of the disease, test and counsel all health center patients at least once and develop a community outreach program to expand testing to more of the service area population, identify people who could benefit from prep medications, and provide HIV/aids care to people who test positive. Aaccc is uniquely positioned to provide HIV/aids services to six western kentucky counties which include both urban and rural communities (daviess, hancock, henderson, mclean, ohio and union counties). Aaccc is an established fqhc with 46 years of experience working with vulnerable populations including the homeless, and low-income, minority urban and rural communities to evaluate and respond to their health care needs. In 2020, aaccc treated 722 unique individuals AGE15-65 living in the service area, and over the next several years will test and counsel both e xisting and all new patients at least once for HIV. Of aaccc's existing patients, 4 are known to be HIV positive and nearly 200 are classified as high-risk and eligible for prep services, including those who have tested positive for an STI, those living with HEP c, and those who are intravenous drug users. Currently, there are no patients who are receiving prep services indicating an immediate opportunity to provide this care. Aaccc will enhance its high-risk screening process to better identify patients who could benefit from prep services and will work to establish treatment plans to help all identified individuals remain HIV/aids free. Aaccc will have two fnps who are trained and certified to provide HIV specific care. All newly diagnosed patients will be referred to these fnps and any existing patients with an HIV diagnosis can choose to receive HIV specific care at the health center. In addition, aaccc will provide community testing and education events to reach others in the service area who do not use the health center for primary care. Aaccc will leverage its established relationships and will work with other community organizations who serve populations where high-risk behaviors exist to schedule testing events. Testing will be free of charge, and individuals who screen positive or meet the criteria for prep will be referred to the health center for follow-up care. To enhance the organization's ability to diagnose and treat HIV/aids, aaccc will educate all providers and staff about HIV/aids to help reduce the stigma surrounding the disease, prescribing prep, and treating patients who test positive.