Project Grant H8H46197

FY 2021 ENDING THE HIV EPIDEMIC - PRIMARY CARE HIV PREVENTION - HIV PREVENTION AND CARE PROJECT INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY HEALTH SERVICES P.O. BOX 3007, SEATTLE, WA 98114-3007 TERESITA BATAYOLA, PRESIDENT & CEO VOICE - (206) 788-3646; FAX - (206) 490-4011 TERESITAB@ICHS.COM WWW.ICHS.COM HEALTH CENTER PROGRAM, PRIMARY CARE HIV PREVENTION H80CS00437 INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY HEALTH SERVICES' (ICHS') HIV PREVENTION AND CARE PROJECT WILL INCREASE RATES OF HIV TESTING, PREP PRESCRIBING, AND LINKAGE OF PATIENTS DIAGNOSED AS HIV POSITIVE TO CARE AND TREATMENT WITHIN 30 DAYS IN KING COUNTY, WASHINGTON. ICHS IS A FEDERALLY QUALIFIED HEALTH CENTER WITH TEN IN-SCOPE LOCATIONS, INCLUDING FOUR FULL-SERVICE MEDICAL/DENTAL CLINICS WHICH WILL BE THE FOCUS OF THE PROJECT. TWO OF THESE CLINICS ARE LOCATED IN SEATTLE: ONE IN THE INTERNATIONAL DISTRICT AND ONE IN THE HOLLY PARK NEIGHBORHOOD. THE IS ONE CLINIC LOCATED IN THE SUBURBAN CITY OF SHORELINE AND ONE IN BELLEVUE, KING COUNTY'S SECOND-LARGEST CITY. THE PROPOSED PROJECT WILL INCREASE THE NUMBER OF PATIENTS COUNSELED AND TESTED FOR HIV BY INITIATING AN OUTREACH PROGRAM TO ENSURE THAT ALL ICHS PATIENTS BETWEEN THE AGES OF 15 AND 65 ARE TESTED FOR HIV AT LEAST ONCE. PATIENTS AT HIGH RISK OF HIV WILL THEN BE SCREENED AT INTERVALS OF 3-12 MONTHS. THIS PROJECT WILL IMPROVE ON THE CURRENT ICHS SCREENING RATE OF 38%. THERE IS STILL A LOT OF STIGMA ASSOCIATED WITH HIV, EVEN WITH SCREENING FOR IT, AND THIS IS COMPOUNDED BY LINGUISTIC AND CULTURAL BARRIERS AS WELL AS LACK OF UNDERSTANDING OF HIV. CONSEQUENTLY, THE PROJECT WILL USE OUTREACH COORDINATORS AS WELL AS HEALTH EDUCATION SPECIALISTS TO HELP INCREASE THE UPTAKE OF FIRST TIME HIV SCREENING. MEDICAL LEADERSHIP WILL WORK WITH OUR CLINICAL INFORMATICS TEAM TO ENSURE THAT HIV SCREENING IS LISTED AS PART OF THE CARE GAPS USED IN OUR ELECTRONIC MEDICAL RECORD SYSTEM TO ENSURE THAT ALL PROVIDERS SCREEN THEIR PATIENTS AT LEAST ONCE. BY OFFERING HIV SCREENING SERVICES, WE WILL BE MORE ATTUNED TO WHO IS AT INCREASED RISK OF GETTING HIV. ICHS WILL IMPROVE OUR COLLECTION OF SEXUAL ORIENTATION AND GENDER IDENTITY (SOGI) AND DRUG-USE DATA TO IDENTIFY WHO IS AT HIGHER RISK OF GETTING HIV AND CAN BENEFIT FROM PREP. PREP MEDICATIONS ARE ALREADY READILY AVAILABLE IN ICHS' PHARMACY SITES FOR SAME-DAY PICKUP. WE WILL OFFER WALK-IN AND POINT-OF-CARE TESTING TO ALLOW FOR SAME-DAY PREP INITIATION. THIS WILL RESULT IN AN INCREASE OF THE NUMBER OF ICHS PATIENTS WHO ARE PRESCRIBED PREP, WHICH WAS 103 AS OF NOVEMBER 30, 2021. BY INCREASING THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE SCREENED FOR HIV, WE WILL IDENTIFY MORE NEW CASES OF HIV. ICHS HAS AN HIV SPECIALIST THAT CAN MANAGE HIV, AND WE WILL ALSO WORK WITH LOCAL ORGANIZATIONS, INCLUDING HIV CLINICS AND CASE MANAGEMENT ORGANIZATIONS TO ENSURE THAT PATIENTS ARE LINKED TO HIV CARE WITHIN 30 DAYS. IN ORDER TO ENSURE THAT ICHS STAFF AND PROVIDERS ARE AWARE OF THE INITIATIVE, ICHS WILL APPOINT HIV PREVENTION CLINICIAN CHAMPIONS AT ITS CLINICAL SITES, AS WELL AS A PROGRAM MANAGER TO OVERSEE THE EFFORT. ICHS IS A FEDERALLY QUALIFIED HEALTH CENTER THAT SERVES EVERYONE. HOWEVER, SINCE 84% OF ICHS PATIENTS WITH KNOWN INCOMES ARE LOW-INCOME (WITH INCOMES AT 200% OF THE FEDERAL POVERTY LIMIT OR LOWER) AND 60% ARE BEST SERVED IN A LANGUAGE OTHER THAN ENGLISH, THESE POPULATIONS WILL REPRESENT A HIGH PERCENTAGE OF THOSE SERVED. IN ADDITION, APPROXIMATELY 68% OF ICHS PATIENTS ARE OF ASIAN ETHNICITY, SO MANY OF THOSE SERVED IN THIS PROJECT WILL REPRESENT THIS POPULATION.