Project Grant P0647282

RYAN WHITE TITLE III HIV CAPACITY DEVELOPMENT AND PLANNING GRANTS - PROJECT ABSTRACT PROJECT TITLE: FY 2022 RWHAP PART C CAPACITY DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM APPLICANT ORGANIZATION NAME: BIENESTAR HUMAN SERVICES ADDRESS: 5326 E. BEVERLY BLVD. LOS ANGELES, CA 90022 PROJECT DIRECTOR NAME: BRENDAN O'CONNELL CONTACT PHONE NUMBER: (866)590-6411 X124 EMAIL ADDRESS: BOCONNELL@BIENESTAR.ORG WEBSITE: WWW.BIENESTAR.ORG GRANT REQUEST: $150,000 CATEGORY: HIV CARE INNOVATION ACTIVITY: RAPID ANTIRETROVIRAL THERAPY (ART) SUMMARY OF THE PROPOSED ACTIVITY AND INTENDED IMPACT: BIENESTAR HUMAN SERVICES (BIENESTAR) IS AN HIV-FOCUSED PROVIDER OF 26 MEDICAL AND NON-MEDICAL PROGRAMS SUCH AS GENERAL PRIMARY MEDICAL CARE; BEHAVIORAL HEALTHCARE; SCREENING FOR HIV, SEXUALLY TRANSMITTED INFECTIONS (STIS), AND HEPATITIS C; A SYRINGE EXCHANGE PROGRAM; AND PRESCRIPTION OF PRE-EXPOSURE PROPHYLAXIS (PREP) AND POST-EXPOSURE PROPHYLAXIS (PEP) MEDICATION. THIS APPLICATION IS TO EXPAND BIENESTAR'S SCOPE OF SERVICES FROM PREVENTION TO ALSO INCLUDE TREATMENT, THEREBY REDUCING FRAGMENTATION OF CARE BY ELIMINATING THE NEED TO REFER TREATMENT SERVICES TO ANOTHER ENTITY. FUNDING WILL BE USED TO IMPLEMENT RAPID ANTIRETROVIRAL THERAPY (ART) WITH THE INTENDED IMPACTS BEING: (1) ONE PROVIDER SERVING LOW-INCOME POPULATIONS WILL BE TRAINED IN RAPID ART; (2) LINKAGE TO RAPID ART WITHIN 72-HOURS OF HIV DIAGNOSIS FOR 100% OF NEWLY-DIAGNOSED PATIENTS; AND (3) PROVISION OF RAPID ART FOR 30 PATIENTS BY THE END OF THE PROJECT PERIOD. NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED/ POPULATION GROUP(S) TO BE SERVED: BIENESTAR OPERATES SIX POINT OF CARE LOCATIONS, IN SIX OF THE EIGHT LOS ANGELES COUNTY SERVICE PLANNING AREAS (SPAS). BIENESTAR'S POPULATION OF FOCUS ARE LOW-INCOME, VULNERABLE, MEDICALLY UNDERSERVED RACIAL/ETHNIC MINORITIES THAT ARE RESIDENTS OF SPA 7, AND WHO ARE LIVING WITH, OR AT RISK-FOR, HIV/AIDS, AND IN NEED OF PRIMARY AND SPECIALTY CARE SERVICES. SPECIFICALLY, BIENESTAR HAS A HISTORY OF SERVING UNDOCUMENTED INDIVIDUALS. DATA FROM THE LOS ANGELES COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF P UBLIC HEALTH, HIV EPIDEMIOLOGY PROGRAM'S ANNUAL SURVEILLANCE REPORT 2020, DEMONSTRATES THAT THERE WERE 3,545 PEOPLE LIVING WITH HIV/AIDS IN SPA 7 WITH 129 NEW DIAGNOSES. AFRICAN AMERICANS AND LATINOS ARE DISPROPORTIONALLY IMPACT BY HIV,1 WHICH IS NOTABLE AS 75.3% OF THE POPULATION IDENTIFIES AS AFRICAN AMERICAN OR LATINO. ADDITIONALLY, THE LATEST AMERICAN COMMUNITY SURVEY SHOWS THAT 14.9% (ROUGHLY 130,000 INDIVIDUALS) OF THE SERVICE AREA'S RESIDENTS HAVE INCOMES BELOW THE 100% FEDERAL POVERTY GUIDELINES, 9.3% ARE UNINSURED, 32.2% ARE FOREIGN-BORN, AND 57.2% SPEAK SPANISH IN THEIR HOME WITH 44.5% OF THOSE INDIVIDUALS REPORTING THAT THAT CANNOT SPEAK ENGLISH "VERY WELL". ALL OF THE AFOREMENTIONED CHARACTERISTICS ARE RESTRICTIVE FACTORS TO HEALTHCARE ACCESS THAT ARE ADDRESSED VIA BIENESTAR'S DISCOUNTED PROGRAMS AND BILINGUAL AND MULTICULTURAL STAFF. PROPOSED SERVICES: BIENESTAR HAS SELECTED THE RAPID ART PROGRAM FOR INDIVIDUALS WITH AN HIV DIAGNOSIS ACTIVITY, WHICH IS A HEALTH SYSTEM INTERVENTION TO FACILITATE ART INITIATION AS SOON AS POSSIBLE AFTER DIAGNOSIS, BY ADDRESSING STRUCTURAL BARRIERS. RAPID INITIATION OF ART FOR HIV WILL BE SUCCESSFULLY INCORPORATED INTO BIENESTAR'S EXISTING PROGRAMS FOR ROUTINE TESTING AND LINKAGE TO CARE AND IS THE NEXT LOGICAL STEP IN BIENESTAR'S ORGANIZATIONAL GROWTH. BIENESTAR'S ROBUST HIV TESTING, EDUCATION, SUPPORT, AND LINKAGE PROGRAMS, WILL PROVIDE THE NECESSARY INFRASTRUCTURE AND RESOURCES TO IMPLEMENT RAPID ART FOR TREATMENT OF HIV.