Improving Access to Care and Quality of Life for People Living with HIV

While the number of new HIV diagnoses in the United States fell 19% between 2005 and 2014, there were still 39,513 people diagnosed with HIV in 2015. Progress has been uneven, however, and diagnoses have increased among a few groups.*

Although the U.S. has made great strides in responding to the HIV epidemic, HIV still poses a risk to public health, especially among people of color and men who have sex with men. With the expected changes to the Affordable Care Act, Medicaid expansion, and health service delivery, communicating, accessing, and understanding HIV, health care enrollment, and service availability will only become more challenging

It is critical that those working directly with all people living with or who are at risk of HIV are provided with current resources and knowledge. In collaboration with our federal partners, state and local health departments, community-based organizations, and consumers, JSI helps ensure that services meet the needs of people at risk for or living with HIV, while reducing or eliminating disparities in access to care and health outcomes. Through the following projects, we use—and help clients use—technology, media strategies, and other techniques to convey high-quality messages.

HIV.gov (formerly known as AIDS.gov)
HIV.gov works to expand visibility of timely and relevant federal HIV and viral hepatitis policies, programs, and resources to the American public and increase knowledge about and access to services for people most at-risk for or living with HIV and/or viral hepatitis. HIV.gov works to increase use of new media tools by the government, minority, and other community partners to extend the reach of HIV and viral hepatitis programs to communities at greatest risk.

The Access, Care, and Engagement (ACE) TA Center
The HRSA-HAB funded ACE TA Center aims to help Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program recipients and subrecipients support their clients, especially people of color, to navigate the health care environment through enrollment in health coverage and improved health literacy.

In It Together: Improving Health Literacy for Black MSM
In It Together is a HRSA/HAB-funded health literacy training initiative for health professionals serving Black/African American gay, bisexual, same-gender-loving and other men who have sex with men (MSM). In It Together trains leaders from communities highly affected by HIV to become health literacy trainers. These trainers then provide a Health Literacy Community Training to health care organizations, helping them to incorporate health literacy tools and techniques into their conversations and services, build health literate organizations, and understand the relationship between health literacy and the social determinants of health.

What Works in Youth HIV
This center’s goal is to improve access to practical evidence-based and emerging HIV prevention resources that improve the capacity of those who work with youth at risk for HIV and help them to prevent HIV infections among those they serve.

IHAP TA Center
The IHAP TAC provides technical assistance and training to support Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program jurisdictions and their planning bodies with the implementation and monitoring of their integrated HIV prevention and care plans. 

Planning CHATT
The Community HIV/AIDS TA and Training for Planning project (Planning CHATT) builds the capacity of Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program Part A Planning Councils and planning bodies (PC/B) across the U.S. to meet their legislative requirements, strengthen consumer engagement, and increase the involvement of community providers in HIV service delivery planning. The Planning CHATT project provides training and technical assistance to support the work of PC/B members, staff, and Part A recipients. 

* CDC/www.cdc.gov/hiv/statistics/overview/ataglance.html