HIV / AIDS Project
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HIV / AIDS Project |
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ABOUT THE PROJECT Lead Agency Project Collaborators Multi Site Evaluation / Funding Agency HIV Information Web Sites Contact Information |
PROJECT DESCRIPTION The Border health project is a collaborative initiative between the San Ysidro Health Center (Lead Community Agency) and the UCSD Center for Community Health/Division of Community Pediatrics (Program Evaluation). Program Purpose: To improve HIV/AIDS outreach, primary care services and cross-border linkages for people who live or work in the San Diego or Imperial County U.S./Mexico border region. The number of new AIDS cases for Latino/as is disproportionately high relative to their total population nationwide and in the border region. Latinos/as face barriers to care such as lack of knowledge about services, language barriers, and lack of culturally competent services. The underserved sub-populations that will be targeted in this program are 1) Latinos/as living or working in the California border region; 2) Migrant farm workers; 3) Youth sex workers; 4) Latino MSM: and 5) Transborder Latino MSM. Program Goals: 1) Increase early detection of HIV in the underserved Latino/a population; 2) Increase access to comprehensive HIV/AIDS primary care services, and 3) Enhance the capacity of community health centers to provide culturally sensitive care. The proposed model utilizes four community health centers (CHCs) as service delivery hubs to conduct outreach and coordinate systems of care. Border competent outreach workers and case managers will assure that the populations are reached and linked into primary care services. A binational program will be established to connect a Latino/a diagnosed as HIV-positive in San Diego or Imperial counties with a provider in Tijuana or Mexicali if needed, and vice versa. Clinicas de Salud del Pueblo will serve as the CHC hub for Imperial County. In San Diego County, San Ysidro Health Center, the lead agency for this project, will serve South County; Family Health Centers will serve Central San Diego; and Vista Community Clinic will serve North County. Participants also include the health departments of San Diego and Imperial counties, health providers in Tijuana and Mexicali, local and statewide HIV/AIDS organizations, and a variety of other public and community-based organizations. Dissemination of program findings, including a report with English and Spanish-language version, will take place locally, statewide, nationally, and in Baja California and Mexico. UCSD Community Pediatrics Evaluation Unit will oversee evaluation of this project. Process and outcome measure will be developed to determine whether: 1) The intervention contributed to an increase in the number of Latinos/as who accessed counseling and testing services; 2) Referral patterns resulting from the initiative increased the number of patients who successfully obtained needed services; 3) There was an increase in the retention rates of clients who access clinic health services; 4) Client participation in treatment regimens improved; 5) The initiative contributed to improved cultural competency among providers/clinic staff; and; 6) Cultural, administrative and organizational barriers were removed resulting in increased access to care. |