Telehealth Strategies to Maximize HIV Care

The purpose of the Telehealth Strategies to Maximize HIV Care initiative is to identify and maximize the use of telehealth strategies that are most effective in improving linkage to care, retention in care, and health outcomes, including viral suppression, for people with HIV who receive services through the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program (RWHAP).

The initiative is focused on emerging interventions, defined as interventions that have demonstrated real world validity and effectiveness, but do not yet have sufficient published research evidence. The emerging interventions of focus for the initiative are telehealth coordination strategies and staffing models.

Through the initiative, JSI is funding five RWHAP sites to implement, adapt, and evaluate telehealth coordination strategies and staffing models. JSI provides technical assistance to the sites and oversees a multi-site evaluation. Project findings will be broadly disseminated to expand the evidence base for effective telehealth strategies within the RWHAP and to support uptake and replication of effective interventions by other RWHAP recipients and subrecipients.

The fives sites participating in the project are:

• Harris Health System (Houston, TX)
• Housing Works Community Healthcare (New York, NY)
• Michael Reese HIV Care Program (Chicago, IL)
• Maternal Infant Studies Center, University of Puerto Rico Medical Sciences Campus (San Juan, PR)
• University of Pittsburgh Medical Center – Presbyterian Shadyside (Pittsburgh, PA)

Project Objectives

• Identify telehealth strategies that are best suited for different RWHAP populations.
• Increase utilization of effective telehealth modalities and/or strategies within the RWHAP.
• Increase dissemination of telehealth strategies and tools for uptake in the RWHAP.
• Increase the capacity of RWHAP recipients and subrecipients to identify and implement effective telehealth strategies. 
• Increase equity in HIV care for people we have not yet successfully maintained in care or populations that historically experience poor health outcomes.