Project Grant P0650233

RYAN WHITE TITLE III HIV CAPACITY DEVELOPMENT AND PLANNING GRANTS - ACCESSMATTERS' PROPOSED PROJECT IS TO ENHANCE THE CAPACITY OF HEALTHCARE PROGRAMS ACROSS THE PHILADELPHIA REGION TO PROVIDE HIGH QUALITY GENDER-AFFIRMING HIV HEALTHCARE. ACCESSMATTERS IS A PROUD RYAN WHITE HIV/AIDS PROGRAM (RWHAP) PART D PROGRAM GRANTEE, AND ESTABLISHED ONE OF THE NATION'S FIRST COLLABORATIVE NETWORKS DESIGNED TO RESPONSIVELY AND EFFECTIVELY COORDINATE CARE FOR WOMEN, INFANTS, CHILDREN AND YOUTH (WICY) WITH HIV. ACCESSMATTERS CONTINUES TO EVOLVE IN A CHANGING HEALTHCARE ENVIRONMENT TO MEET THE UNIQUE NEEDS OF WICY CLIENTS THROUGHOUT PHILADELPHIA. FOR OVER THIRTY YEARS, ACCESSMATTERS' RWPD NETWORK, THE LARGEST IN PHILADELPHIA, HAS IMPROVED ACCESS TO PRIMARY HIV MEDICAL CARE FOR HIV POSITIVE WICY THROUGH THE PROVISION OF COORDINATED, COMPREHENSIVE, CULTURALLY AND LINGUISTICALLY COMPETENT SERVICES. THESE SERVICES ARE PROVIDED IN PART DIRECTLY BY ACCESSMATTERS AND IN PART THROUGH CONTRACTUAL PARTNERSHIPS WITH A NETWORK OF WELL-ESTABLISHED AND RESPECTED CLINICAL AND SUPPORT SERVICE PROVIDERS. TO FURTHER ITS MISSION, ACCESSMATTERS IS REQUESTING $150,000 TO IMPLEMENT GENDER-AFFIRMING CARE TRAINING TO ITS NETWORK IN ORDER TO IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF HIV SERVICES PROVIDED TO TRANSGENDER AND GENDER DIVERSE (TGD) CLIENTS. FALLING UNDER HIV CARE INNOVATION: GENDER-AFFIRMING CARE AND FOCUSED ON STIGMA AND DISCRIMINATION, THIS PROGRAM BUILDS UPON ACCESSMATTERS' ROLE AND PREVIOUS SUPPLEMENTAL FUNDING BY CONTINUING TO GROW THE CAPACITY OF RYAN WHITE PARTS A, C, AND D FUNDED ORGANIZATIONS TO PROMOTE LINKAGE TO AND LIFELONG RETENTION IN HIV MEDICAL CARE AMONG PEOPLE LIVING WITH HIV. PHILADELPHIA'S HIV INCIDENCE AND PREVALENCE RATES REMAIN CONSISTENTLY HIGHER THAN THOSE OF THE COMMONWEALTH OF PENNSYLVANIA, THE UNITED STATES OVERALL, AND SIMILAR METROPOLITAN AREAS. AS IS TRUE ACROSS THE COUNTRY, THERE ARE SIGNIFICANT DISPARITIES IN WHO IS MOST IMPACTED BY HIV/AIDS IN THE CITY. WICY ARE DEEPLY IMPACTED BY THE EPIDEMIC, WITH FURTHER DISPARITIES AMONG WICY WHO IDENTIFY AS TGD. AS WILL BE DEMONSTRATED IN THE PROJECT NARRATIVE, ACCESSMATTERS' EXPERT TRAINING TEAM AND ITS CONTRACTED PARTNER WILL PROVIDE CAPACITY-BUILDING TRAININGS TO THE RWPD NETWORK IN ORDER TO IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF CLINICAL SERVICES PROVIDED TO TGD CLIENTS. THESE TRAININGS WILL BE INFORMED BY BOTH CLIENTS AND SUB-RECIPIENT STAFF IN ORDER TO ENSURE THAT MEANINGFUL CHANGES CAN BE MADE THROUGHOUT THE COURSE OF THE PROJECT. THIS WILL MAXIMIZE THE NETWORK'S ABILITY TO ADEQUATELY SERVE TGD CLIENTS AND ENSURE LINKAGE TO, AND RETENTION IN, HIV SERVICES.